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Note: I was only able to
view the edited version. Bummer.
Basic Plot: A drug addict,
Harry Goldfarb, and his friends are finding and using and
doing whatever they can to keep it that way. Harry's
mother, Sarah, is also finding and using and addicted - to
television, then diet pills. The situation starts off
bad and gets so much worse.
Aronofsky's style is quite
individualized and very apparent - the viewer is quite aware
of the direction. His work here is very similar to that
in "Pi", although he is now in full color. He uses montages of
drug use effectively to get the viewer inside of the
repetitive nature of addiction. The technique works to
bring the viewer close to each character.
The performances are great.
Ellen Burstyn is amazing. Impressed by Tom Hanks'
weight-difference in "Cast Away"? Burstyn does it, and does
it to the extreme. Her character is well-crafted; she
pulls Sarah off very, very well. Even Marlon Wayans does
a good job in his first straight-man role (that I've seen).
The only problem I had was Jared Leto's waxing and waning
accent. He must be simply bad with accents. He was
in an Irish film, the name of which escapes me, and I swear
his voice was dubbed in by Chris O'Donnell. Leto does
have the pretty face. And he proves in Requiem that he
is more of a talent than he sometimes gets credit for.
This film, maybe more than any
other in recent memory, really pulls the viewer into the story
to pull up a seat with the characters. The story is
character-based and it works because the characters are good
and believable. This isn't just a drug movie about lazy
kid addicts - it shows the span of addiction. The devastation
that results from addiction is presented, as is
the devastation that leads to addiction in the first place, vicious-circle style.
If you watch Requiem now, you'll
be all set to chime in when Aronofsky becomes The Next Big
Thing.
-- Liz
( 3 1/2 out of 4 pops )
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