Similar to the second golden age of television, film has been far less tentative about putting its foot into the pool of somber and realistic topics in recent years. While it’s much more difficult to identify exactly where this trend began, the 2000s ushered in a series of dark and troubling films depicting the harsh reality of the world we live in. One such film is Requiem for a Dream, by Darren Aronofsky.
Requiem depicts the lives of four addicts who are all differently affected by drugs and addiction. Harry and his girlfriend, both addicted to heroin, try desperately and fail to sell heroin with the help of their friend Tyrone. Harry’s mother, Sara, becomes addicted to amphetamine weight loss pills after growing nervous about an upcoming appearance on her favorite gameshow. Eventually, their addictions pull them downward, with Harry losing his arm to an infected injection site, Tyrone imprisoned, Harry’s girlfriend turning to prostitution, and Sara committed to a psychiatric facility. The film pulls no punches, and the depictions of these trials and hardships are brutal and realistic. Heroin and pill addictions carry the characters away before they have time to realize what is happening, and the consequences of their actions will likely follow them forever.
Aronofsky’s depiction of prescription pill and heroin addiction is a slightly different perspective from what we see in a show like Breaking Bad. No characters are anti heroes like Walter, and instead of rooting for any of the characters, we instead can only watch hopelessly as they spiral downward into lives of addiction and the suffering it brings. However, just like Breaking Bad, we can still take something away from what we see in Requiem for a Dream. Addiction, often glorified by film, TV, and celebrity culture, is shown here in all its horror. What starts often as innocent and curious drug use can very easily slide into addiction, and it’s nothing to glorify. Aronofsky’s portrait of addiction, albeit very disturbing, is a powerful warning of the hidden and often unseen parts of addiction. We see that the most shocking part of addiction is how easily it can change not only what we do, but who we are.
