A requiem from hell.

There's no doubt about it, I'm a new fan of Darren Aronofsky's works. For those who don't know, he's the guy who made that 2006 sci-fi movie "The Fountain" (starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz). The movie got good reviews, but didn't seem to do very well commercially. I watched it on DVD anyway and absolutely loved it, mind-bending and bewildering as it is. An hour ago I just finished watching his earlier movie, "Requiem for a Dream", which shows the lives of four people struggling with their various drug addictions. When I popped in the DVD, I was greeted with a menu in the style of those annoying daytime TV commercials. You know, this item blahblahblah only $9.95 plus $4.95 shipping and handling blahblahblah, those kinds of stuff. Very interesting, I thought, but what piqued my interest so was the fact that I could feel my "disturbing-stuff!" sensor flaring up the moment I saw that menu. And so I turned off the lights and watched the movie. Boy, was I in for a hell ride. This has to be the most disturbing, depressing, and dark movie I've ever seen since "Dancer In The Dark" (another indie movie starring the-ever-phenomenal Bjork). But unlike the sublimely beautiful DITD, this movie pulled no punches. It's a harrowing and suicidal journey with shots of dilated pupils, white powders, spinning lights, and sweat-drenched pale faces and black eyes scattered liberally throughout. At first impression, the movie might come off as looking cheap and very indie, as it was hazy, smoky, and jittery. But it's clear that the director wanted to show this film as though it is seen through the eyes of a junkie, complete with rapid, erratic shots, visual and aural distortions. The performances were terrific, the music effective, the pacing got more and more furious and stomach-churning as it went. This sounds trite but true, but this movie is a real eye-opener of the danger of drugs and its addictions. It's a jolt of shock to the head (literally), and will leave you with cement in your stomach after. If you're into fun, light-hearted movie, stay away. But I would urge you nonetheless to give this movie a chance and watch it if you can. Heck, I'm already planning to add this to my DVD collection.
While I do think that this is not a movie that I will see myself watching repeatedly, this movie sticks and haunts my head. And what's best, it scared the living shit out of me about drug addictions. And just for that, it deserves a special place in my collection.