Requiem For A Dream

Drugs, drugs, drugs... That's how some people would define Requiem for a dream. Well, what can I say, those of you who do are probably right, but the fact is that I perceive this movie in a completely different way. Allow me to explain what I mean by this.

You see when it comes to social issues like drug use, alcoholism, prostitution and everything of that nature, our "oh-so" under developed society (talking about its open mindedness and tolerance), usually has two kinds of reactions to these. I would summarize them as follows. 

• Prohibition
• Information

I'll begin today with the second point and I think, this already gives you an idea of my Requiem for a dream perception. So, "information", as I said before in my post about smoking (by the way still a smoker :'( but there's always hope, right?), it's a really silly thing to see all these so-called "social ads" aimed at putting people in the right direction which is that of "quitting bad habits". Why silly? Well, you see the idea of having people quit a habit which can be detrimental to them and consequently their close ones, is a good one. The only thing is that I'm not that satisfied with the way it is done nowadays. I mean, take a look.

Do you really think people will identify to this rather than this?

My answer is short.  Requiem for a dream, most definitely wins the "price of persuasion" when it comes to making me NOT want to experiment with hard drugs. I mean, isn't that the whole point of such movies? My guess, is yes! You see the thing is that some might argue about the fact that Requiem for a dream is a full-feature movie and that it goes deeper in our sub conscience and all, but I for one don't agree. The main idea of any format of informational campaign should be informing people, right? Well, social ads don't deliver most of the time. In fact most of the time I actually have the impression that these ads are the to shock people, period. And they do a great job at it.

And it's here that Requiem for a dream stands out for me. Not only like Trainspotting (a bit more details about it later) is it a film that touches the delicate but omnipresent issue of heroine addiction and in fact addiction in general. It also succeeds in telling the viewers a "beautiful" story which might really appeal to many, consequently drawing their attention to the real issue at stake, "addiction" and the destructive nature of this issue. By depicting in detail all the daily life of addicts, Requiem for a dream, really provides an unbiased view of what it is addiction, what it is to give up your last drop of dignity in order to have a fix. In short a "must see" and highly recommended. At least this is one movie that can definitely provide some food for thought.

I know that this post wasn't really about Requiem for a dream as a movie. But I still maintain the thought the "drugs, drugs, drugs" perception of this movie is a wrong one, but unfortunately still prevails. So, watch or even re watch it. New thoughts and doors may open up :-)