Regardless of age, nationality, religion, social and financial status, everyone has the most cherished dreams. People, dreaming, then drown in their fantasies or do everything to bring them to life. It is necessary to fruitfully realize the goal without harming loved ones and other people and to remain a human in the end. Requiem for a Dream is a story of withering doubts about how drugs cripple human souls and destroy dreams.
Drugs play the role of a tool in the film, which deceptively quickly promises to fulfill the main characters’ dreams. In the story of a young guy and a girl, drugs inspire their love and make the sensations fantastic. This guy’s mom, an ordinary housewife, dreams of getting on a TV show and foolishly exceeds the dose of a stimulating drug for weight loss – to look good on TV. The stimulant ideally helps to lose weight and lifts the mood — and there are no problems with hunger. The main character and his friend, a drug addict, decide to pull off an easy deal for dealers — to get rich quickly and live a beautiful and luxurious life. For all the characters in the film, drugs are a quick and convenient way to establish their own lives without putting in much effort.
From the first seconds of the film, the audience seems to be in the main characters’ heads, whose desires are drawn into a troubled and detached world. Thanks to the impeccable Libatik’s operator work, the viewer will feel discomfort, which can cause vomiting, dizziness, and a sense of panic. In this film, the director seems to be experimenting — two thousand mounting glues change one after another — as in video clips. Collages, close-ups, dilated pupils, a split-screen in two, and Mansell’s heartbreaking music create an unforgettable and frightening atmosphere. Thus, this film does not romanticize drug addiction but shows this deadly habit most disgustingly and unpleasantly. The main idea of this film is that drugs are not a means of improving life or achieving dreams — on the contrary, drugs destroy dreams and lives.