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Requiem for a Dream

“I’m somebody now, Harry. Everybody likes me."

Phew. This film should be required viewing for all high school seniors. It’s brutal and intense, but also honest and powerful in its depiction of addiction. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we finish up our series on the immensely gifted actress Ellen Burstyn with Darren Aronofsky’s 2000 film “Requiem for a Dream.” We discuss why this film is so powerful, and what creating a film that goes to the places this one goes to meant in the filmmakers’ battle with the MPAA over the rating. We talk about the performances — Burstyn’s heartbreaking portrayal of a mother addicted to weight loss pills, along with Jared Leto’s, Marlon Wayans’ and Jennifer Connelly’s portrayals of people spiraling down in their heroin addiction. We chat about Aronofsky and what he’s doing as a filmmaker in his second film that shows him to be a true storyteller of this amazing visual medium. We touch on other key elements of the production that make this movie what it is, most notably Clint Mansell and the Kronos Quartet bringing to life one of the most haunting and gripping scores we’ve heard. And we look at why this film didn’t do as well here in the States as it should have, including why it didn’t get the award love it should have. It’s an incredibly difficult film to watch but is one made by a master of the craft. We have a great time talking about it. Tune in!

Film Sundries

Trailers of the Week

A show about movies and how they connect.

When the movie ends, our conversation begins. We love movies. We’ve been talking about them, one movie a week, since 2011. It’s a lot of movies, that’s true, but we’re passionate about origins and performance, directors and actors, themes and genres, and so much more. So join the community and let’s hear about your favorite movies, too.
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