Requiem For A Dream (27/10/2000)

     Set in front of the gritty backdrop of Brooklyn, New York, ‘Requiem For A Dream’ is made up of hard-hitting, graphically realistic and often nauseating imagery, but it is the juxtapositioning of realism and surrealism that makes it so captivating. Fundamentally, it is a montage from the twisted mind of Darren Aronofsky, following four drug addicts through their troubled existences. Some aspects appear so lifelike to the point where some audience members may feel physically sick, which complements the heartbreaking acting, which is incredibly rare. With the film having no hidden message, the viewer is able to focus on the fantastic cinematography seen throughout it, such as the repetition of shots and sequences reflects the sense of tarnished routine which run throughout the film, which leads to obsession from each individual character.

 

     The 102 minutes of pain, failure and drug dependency is essentially a eulogy morning the lost dreams of the four characters, lonely Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), her fiercely determined son, heroin addicted Harry (Jared Leto), and his girlfriend Marion Silver (Jennifer Connolly) and best friend Tyrone Love (Marlon Wayans). Each character is driven by addiction and it is the cleverly used split screen shots that allow the audience to follow the interwoven storylines and eventual deterioration of the four individuals.

     In fact, at times the acting is so powerful, it drowns out the dotted aspects of surrealism used. For instance, the emotional capture of loneliness is so perfectly constructed through the character of Sara it could break a heart of stone. At first, Sara is by her friends to lose weight, and she is convinced, along with dying her hair a harsh shade of red, that it will make her happier. She becomes obsessed with fitting into a sleek red dress she wore to her son’s graduation years ago, and after ordering weight-loss amphetamine pills handed over by an apathetic doctor she becomes addicted, consequently experiencing hallucinations and unbalanced emotions.

 

     Her son Harry is heavily reliant on drugs, scoring hit after hit, as well as the love of his girlfriend. Ironically, he visits his mother during her addiction and simply perceives her as what she is skin deep; a lonely old woman infatuated by television. Harry’s girlfriend Marion sleeps with her physiatrist for their next hit, after which, Harry leaves for the same reason, just as Marion exceeds breaking point, sleeping with another man and later attending a swinger’s ‘party’ during which there is an incredibly graphic sex scene through which, Marion feeds her drug dependency.

 

     There are several rapid cuts from scene to scene within the film that reflect the pace of the storylines. The viewer is called to question their perceptions of drugs because of the legality of Sara’s addiction, and the inner monologues of each character projected on screen allow the audience to clearly understand the emotion being represented, and tight close-ups enhance this. ‘Requiem For A Dream’ is very stylistic. Darren Aronofsky, as both director and writer obviously had heavily influence over the film’s creation, the variation from extreme close-ups to wide panning shots is clearly an intentional technique.

 

     Scene length shortens swiftly as the film progresses, depicted through the characters’ transitions from sobriety to intoxication and the rapid succession of images throughout the film. The music used is repetitive, haunting and extremely intense; Clint Mansell has composed cold and eerie sounds to compliment the reality the film illustrates.

 

     ‘Requiem For A Dream’ comes to an end with all four characters thrown far from where they began, and all in all, the film can seem so real at times that it is terribly discouraging to watch, even the effective ending with each character curled up in the foetal position.  However, the indescribable combination of Leto’s voice and appearance are enough to lift anyone’s spirits. Despite the fight between storyline and style often concluding with neither being successful, Aronofsky, along with the juxtapositioning of realism with surrealism, makes both complement one another perfectly.

5/5

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (19/11/2010 Warner Bros.)

      This, the seventh and penultimate film in the Harry Potter franchise, is dark, chilling and action-packed, which makes  ‘Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1’ dissimilar to the boundaries of Hogwarts the audience is used to.

          Voldemort’s (Ralph Fiennes) power is mounting as he gains control over the Ministry of Magic as well as Hogwarts, making muggles and wizards alike, live in terror. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) work in partnership to complete the noble work of Dumbledore by searching for parts of Voldemort’s soul hidden inside horcruxes, to eventually defeat the dark Lord, and of course, save the world, as always.

     This film does not follow the same structure found in the previous productions; exaggerated danger, a climaxing battle and a happy ending. Instead, there is potential peril lurking round every corner, fast-paced editing, a gripping cliff-hanger (and least for those who have not read the book) and a deeply pale colour pallet constructed by cinematographer, Eduardo Serra. All this sets the stage for the three stars to give their best performances to date, and certainly director David Yates’ best work in terms of overall production and presentation.

     

     The film opens with an unflattering shot Rufus Scrimgeour, the new Minister of Magic, played by Bill Nighy, basically giving away the tone of the film to come, ‘These are dark times’. Harry's journey to the Weasleys’ to avoid the bad guys involves the death of Harry’s beloved owl Hedwig and seven of the good guys morphing into Harry for his protection, which, let’s face it, is a sight no one is all too pleased to see. Scrimgeour later presents the gruesome threesome with Dumbledore’s mysterious possessions he left for them in his will, after he fell to his death, with a little assistance from Snape. Gifts in hand, and after an epic disruption of Ron’s older brother Bill’s wedding, Harry, Hermione and Ron head into London to escape the Death Eaters.

     The heroic trio spend the remainder of the film in the wilderness running from the Dark Lord and his followers and bickering with one another, clearly to represent adolescent interplay in some way. Mid way through,  Ron loses his rag, leaving the other two alone to cheer one another up by dancing the most awkward dance ever seen on screen. With this, and the absence of the vibrant optimism of Hogwarts, the film is bleak in terms of tone and overall impression.

     Even with the special effects being state-of-the-art, their credibility is somewhat wasted on a slow-moving and effectively children’s movie. This is enhanced by the breathtaking animated sequence, describing the ‘Tale of the Three Brother’s’ through Xenophilius Lovegood’s (Rhys Ifans), who is Luna Lovegood’s father. The animation essentially provides the three heroes with all they need to finally destroy the bad guy.

      Compared to the previous sixth films, 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1', is strung-along somewhat, no doubt to satisfy Warner Bros’ hefty wallets more than Potter fans. Despite the fact that most of the world is familiar with both the books and films, this latest instalment requires hordes of Potter knowledge to even comprehend following. But it is, without doubt the most frightening of the lot, with some moments that could even make fully grown adults squeal. 

4/5