Delusional dreams turn into dark nightmares in Aronofsky film
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
Museum of the Moving Image
35th Ave. at 36th St., Astoria
Friday, March 21, $12, 7:00
Series runs March 21-27
718-777-6800
www.movingimage.us
Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream is a devastating portrait of addiction, featuring one of the most brutal endings in cinema history. Based on the novel by Hubert Selby Jr. (Last Exit to Brooklyn), who cowrote the screenplay with Aronofsky, the Coney Island-set film focuses on four central figures: Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), a lonely widow living in Brighton Beach who learns that she might appear on a television program so is desperate to lose weight to fit into her red dress, ultimately getting lost in a haze of prescription drugs; her son, Harry (Jared Leto), a junkie looking to make a big score; Harry’s girlfriend, Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly), who dreams of becoming a fashion designer but has to decide how far she will go for her next taste; and Harry’s partner in crime, Tyrone Love (Marlon Wayans), who shoots up while remembering the warm comfort of his mother’s arms. Using repetitive fast-paced editing, enhanced sound effects, and a harrowing score by Clint Mansell, Aronofsky creates a nightmare world where delusional dreams come crashing down with horrific consequences. The acting throughout is a veritable tour de force, led by Burstyn’s Oscar-nominated descent into hell. Requiem for a Dream is screening March 21 at 7:00, kicking off the Museum of the Moving Image’s weekend tribute to Aronofsky in celebration of the release of his latest film, Noah. The series also includes Pi, The Fountain, The Wrestler, and Black Swan before concluding with a members-only preview of his new biblical epic on March 27.