Review of Old Movie--Requiem for a Dream

This 2000 film is an adaptation of Hubert Selby, Jr,'s novel based 

on what was known then about addiction. If you've heard of Johann 

Hari and his book Chasing the Scream you might come away 

puzzled by Requiem which relies heavily on the "chemical hooks" 

theory of addiction. As Hari claims and further illustrates, "What 

we think we know about addiction is all wrong."


But setting that aside for a while, Selby and the director Darren 

Aronofsky do a top-notch job of presenting visually the states and 

stages of addiction running side-by-side stories of conventional

drug use (heroin, cocaine) and drug abuse by prescription drugs

(physician authorized amphetamines for weight loss). The images 

and acting are superb in conveying the world of substance abuse

and the dangers involved across a spectrum of users, sellers.



Quick and Dirty--A confluence of stories, visually riveting, well 

worth the watching. Convincing on its own but must be measured 

against new knowledge of addiction--itself obviously not the last 

word.



c. J.S.Manista, 2015