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And then there is Jennifer Connelly…. I have always despised Jennifer Connelly. But at this point, I am sure you have come to realize this. Call it a New Year’s miracle, but through these Are You With Us? columns I have been shown the light – coming full circle, embracing Jennifer Connelly as a well to do actress after watching Requiem for a Dream. In one of her darkest roles, Jennifer is jaw-dropping in the lengths she goes to get money for drugs, whether it be sleeping with a psychiatrist for a prescription or befriending pimps to keep up her habit…while pregnant. Connelly is wonderful in the part and while receiving high marks, was overshadowed by the kudos handed to Leto and Burstyn. Yet I could not imagine any other actress being more perfectly cast in a very revealing (emotionally and physically) part with enough energy to do an equal or better job. Jennifer Connelly, you have proved me wrong and you are a mighty fine actress. Dark Water is forgiven.

Even with all of the fantastic acting performances, what really makes the film tick is director and co-writer Aronofsky. With the critics in his pocket after his feature film debut Pi, Aronofsky did not hold back with Requiem. Stylized using various shooting methods, which included attaching cameras to actors, extreme close-up shots and time-lapse photography coupled with brilliant lighting for the hallucinating sequences, the film has Aronofsky’s distinct fingerprint on its every frame. Hyper kinetic with over 2,000 cuts (most films average a third of that amount), he gets the tense nature just right. He shows how drugs detach a person from their actual self. He also provides one of the most uncomfortable scenes in movie history when Jared Leto has his arm amputated after his mid-arm turns into a gooey, bruised mess from all of the needle injections. If you squealed during 127 Hours, then definitely hit the fast-forward button for this. Dreary and intense, sequences like this split the critics in half. While averaging a high 78% on Rottentomatoes.com, when you look at the more conservative top critics, the percent significantly lowers to 66%. Too graphic and overdone for some, this is what hurt the film’s Oscar chances.

Requiem for a Dream is not an easy movie, but an important one to see for its depiction of addiction. Living in a culture obsessed with shows like Intervention and Celebrity Rehab, it is nice to see an equally emotional yet fictional account be produced by Hollywood without PG-13 sugarcoating. It is also an important film in terms of seeing Aronofsky’s career progress artistically - a director who will command his first big-budget studio production, The Wolverine, in 2012. Requiem for a Dream contains what nightmares are made of, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid the all too real feeling fiction can bring thanks to a great script, cast, and director.

Verdict: With Us

8 out of 10

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