REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (2000)

RATING: 8.5/10✅

Drama/Thriller/Psychological

Sara Goldfarb (Burstyn), a widow who lives alone in a Brighton Beach apartment, spends her time watching infomercials. Her son Harry (Leto) is a heroin addict, along with his friend Tyrone (Wayans) and girlfriend Marion (Connelly). The three traffic heroin in a bid to realize their dreams.

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THE FUTURE OF PORTABLE CINEMA

Details:

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky

Produced by: Eric Watson, Palmer West

Screenplay by: Hubert Selby Jr., Darren Aronofsky

Based on: Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr.

Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans

Music by: Clint Mansell

Cinematography: Matthew Libatique

Edited by: Jay Rabinowitz

Production Company: Thousand Words, Protozoa Pictures

Distributed by: Artisan Entertainment

Release Date: May 14, 2000 (Cannes) October 27, 2000 (US) November 3, 2000(Canada)

Running Time: 101 minutes

Country: United States

Language: English

Budget: $4.5 million

Box Office: $7.4 million

Production

The film rights to Hubert Selby Jr.'s book were optioned by Scott Vogel for Truth and Soul Pictures in 1997 prior to the release of Aronofsky's film π.

The bathtub scene in the film was inspired by Satoshi Kon's 1997 anime film Perfect Blue.

Requiem for a Dream premiered at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2000, and the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival on September 13 before a wide release on October 27.

In the United States, the film was originally rated NC-17 by the MPAA, but Aronofsky appealed the rating, claiming that cutting any portion of the film would dilute its message. The appeal was denied and Artisan decided to release the film unrated. An R-rated version was released on video, with the sex scene edited, but the rest of the film identical to the unrated version.

In the United Kingdom, the film was given an 18 certificate by the BBFC for "drug depiction, coarse language and sex". In Australia the film was rated R18+ by the ACB for "drug use and adult themes".