BE EXCITED! Requiem for a Dream may not be in the spirit of the holiday season, or any season for that matter, but this fantastic 4k set looks and sounds amazing and with the extremely low price of it's selling for at the moment, it's a perfect gift for any movie-fan out there.
“Celebrating its 20th anniversary with a 4k Ultra HD release, Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream – with a screenplay by Aronofsky and Hubert Selby Jr., based on Selby’s novel – stars Oscar winners Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, and Ellen Burstyn, alone with Marlon Wayans, in a hypnotic film about four people pursuing their visions of happiness. Even as everything begins to fall apart, they refuse to let go, plummeting with their dreams into a nightmarish, gut-wrenching freefall.”
Darren Aronofsky helped change my overall view of films when I saw Pi as a teenager. Although I had begun delving into more classic cinema at that age, I don’t think I was ever fully aware that I could evaluate themes in films beyond good guy vs. bad guy and apply them to my own developing belief structure. His second feature, Requiem for a Dream, albeit dark and depressing, still explores themes that I don’t think I was ready to comprehend at that age. Watching it again after all these years, now much older, these themes resonate a lot stronger, in a film that has aged extremely well over the past two decades.
As with a lot of his films, Requiem for a Dream can be described in many portions of the film as an assault on the senses. Whether or not it has to do with the drug induced hysteria, the withdrawals from heroin or even sugar, or the infomercial that blares on the television. This perfectly encapsulates what the film is trying to convey. It’s not a film about drugs per se, but about addition itself and its different forms, and the different vehicles that get us there. Heroin is obviously the focus at the beginning. The effects it has on the body when used, and the horrible induced state when the characters are experiencing withdrawal symptoms, as well as the lengths they will go to to get that next fix. This self-destructive path all the characters continue down in order to realize their dream can be extremely hard to watch at times.
What the film also touches on is that withdrawals take many forms, not just from drugs, but from every day things that the majority of humans consume like sugar. Giving up sugar and fattening foods takes Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) on a terrifying journey as she’ll do anything to realize her dream of being on television, a goal that has given her purpose and admiration of the women in her building. Doing anything to make that come true takes its toll on her as well. Watching this film today is interesting in how you can apply these themes to other things that really weren’t around twenty years ago. Smart phones for example, or social media, another type of addiction that people don’t take as seriously as they should. It would be interesting to see Aronofsky’s take on these types of addictions today, and what roads they may lead to.
It is in large part because of how we can apply this film to new types of addictions that I felt this film held up so well. There will always be addiction in some form unfortunately, and this film is a brutally honest exploration of that, something that everyone should experience, despite how hard it is to watch at times. Aronofsky’s directing style fits perfectly for this type of story, and his quick cuts seem to emulate the type of mindset constantly on edge. The actors in the film, Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans and Jennifer Connelly in their story, all do a fantastic job. Jared Leto does some questionable things sometimes, but his significant weight loss for Harry Goldfarb and his research for the role, which consisted of shooting up water and hanging out with junkies really show his dedication to the film and to his craft. Ellen Burstyn is definitely the highlight of the film, however, as her descent into addiction is all the more tragic given her dream of being on television and wanting something as simple as to lose a few pounds.
Video
Requiem for a Dream is presented in 2160 4k Ultra High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1 and features Dolby Vision. Aronofsky’s style in the film doesn’t necessarily reflect the capabilities of this 4k set. His view of the film is rather bleak, consisting of rather washed out colors and bland backgrounds, save for the bright red dress that Harry sees at the end of the pier. But, when you do see those bright and vivid colors that Aronofsky wants you to see, they are brilliant. The brights and deep darks of the 4k set do benefit from this UHD transfer, especially the darks, as there are those in abundance in this film.
Audio
The audio is presented in Dolby Atmos, perhaps my favorite aspect of this new set. It’s an astonishing mix, and although this isn’t the action-type of film you would expect to hear great things from an Atmos track, the score really resonates. There are very few films out there that when I see them, I make it a point to know the composer. Aronofsky’s films are one of those, and Clint Mansell is a name that I’ve been excited to see in all of his films, with a very distinguishable style that I’ve been able to pick out in other films in which I’ve immensely enjoyed the soundtrack, such as Moon.
Special Features
There are some new features on the 4k disc. The Blu-ray release is identical to the previous release, containing all the original extras that you won’t see on the 4k disc.
4k Disc:
- On Set: 1999
- Transcendent Moments: The Score of Requiem for a Dream
- Ellen Burstyn on Requiem for a Dream
- Through Their Eyes: Revisiting Requiem for a Dream
- Audio Commentary by Director Darren Aronofsky
- Audio Commentary by Director of Photography Matthew Libatique
Blu-ray Disc:
- The Making of Requiem for a Dream
- Deleted Scenes
- Memories, Dreams & Addictions: Ellen Burstyn Interviews Hubert Selby, Jr
- Theatrical Trailers
- TV Spots
- Audio Commentary by Director Darren Aronofsky
- Audio Commentary by Director of Photography Matthew Libatique
Requiem for a Dream has been given a great treatment by Lionsgate for its 20th anniversary, which was released a little over a month ago. Currently, the holiday pricing is an absolute steal for this film at $7.99, let alone any 4k film, a perfect gift for any movie-fan looking to upgrade, an upgrade well worth it.
