Requiem for a Dream

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Requiem for a Dream

R

Released Oct 27, 2000

1h 41m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

80%

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183 Reviews

93%

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250,000+ Ratings

Imaginatively evoking the inner landscape of human beings longing to connect, to love and feel loved, the film is a parable of happiness gloriously found and tragically lost. "Requiem for a Dream" tells parallel stories that are linked by the relationship between the lonely, widowed Sara Goldfarb and her sweet but aimless son, Harry. The plump Sara, galvanized by the prospect of appearing on a TV game show, has started on a dangerous diet regimen to beautify herself for a national audience.

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Critics Consensus

Though the movie may be too intense for some to stomach, the wonderful performances and the bleak imagery are hard to forget.

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Geoff Pevere

Toronto Star

Clearly influenced by the cut-and-paste of hip-hop, Requiem stokes and builds its tragic momentum like an expertly mixed dance cut, the kind that catches you so seductively in its rhythms you'll follow it anywhere...

Rated: 4/5

Aug 23, 2025

Full Review

Mike Clark

USA Today

The fidgety style that can energize a fairly lively debut cheapie doesn't work very well with a cast of familiar faces. It detracts from a movie whose historically capable and seemingly well-cast actors might have carried the show by themselves...

Rated: 2/4

Aug 23, 2025

Full Review

Todd McCarthy

Variety

Craftwork is aces across the board, with a sound mix that’s particularly dense.

Aug 23, 2025

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Gayle Sequeira

BFI

Ghostly dissolves capture them turning into mere echoes of themselves. Aronofsky speeds up time and draws it out agonisingly, evoking the rush of the high and then its crushing absence.

Aug 27, 2025

Full Review

Matthew Toomey

ABC Radio Brisbane

When you see as many films as I do, you often have preconceptions...Then out of nowhere, something comes along that reinvigorates your passion as both a viewer and a critic. This is my drug...This is Requiem For A Dream.

Rated: A+

Aug 25, 2025

Full Review

Michael Gingold

Fangoria

It may be too much for some viewers to take, but no one ever said addiction is pretty. And Aronofsky earns every right to his excesses by making sure audiences feel the loss of humanity instead of treating them like spectators at a freak show.

Aug 25, 2025

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John F

Connelly and Leto are beautiful together and Burstyn's performance alone is worth the price of admission. That said, the story was mean, manipulative (e.g., one would never undergo electroconvusive therapy w/o their consent), and one-dimensional...basically Reefer Madness 2.0, or the Walmart Trainspotting. I'm sure Reagan and the MAGA freaks would love it, basically the same people who oppose comprehensive sex education and just want teachers to scream at students "DON'T DO IT OR YOU'LL DIE!!!" Can we have a grown-up discussion about substance abuse, please?

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/02/25

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Michelle H

Requiem for a Dream is not an easy watch, nor should it be. It’s a film that forces us to confront the darkest corners of ambition, love, and loneliness. A devastating, unforgettable experience that defines Aronofsky as a fearless storyteller.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/31/25

Full Review

G P

This movie is dark and haunting, over stimulating, heavy in content. Chronos quartet's music will get to you, especially with the volume increase during the movie. I love "drawn outside of the lines" movies like this, definitely not everyone's cup of tea. But a ride you will get and it won't disappoint.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/25/25

Full Review

Sabrina B

From a movie standpoint, characters really didn’t have any depth for me to care about anything bad happening to them. I guess the mom Sara, but at the end I was just kind of like ugh… that was it? There are much better movies out there on addiction issues that portray it just as ugly but with character development that will illicit more of an emotional response. Honestly I got pretty bored half way through.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/25/25

Full Review

Nano N

Brutal to watch. Depicts an unfortunate reality for many. Burstyn as Sara's decline especially harsh with Connely as Marion almost as awful. The male roles meet ends all to common in the drug thug life.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/22/25

Full Review

Jay C.

Disturbing. The best review I can give is I have been a paramedic for 20 years and I have seen it all. This movie is and un-diluted look at what drug addiction does to a group of characters it follows. That’s it. I won’t ruin it. People give reviews for it but that takes away from the shock. So, it makes me get misty eyed after everything I’ve done and seen. That’s a review in itself.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/17/25

Full Review

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Darren Aronofsky

Director

Ellen Burstyn

Sara Goldfarb

Jared Leto

Harry Goldfarb

Jennifer Connelly

Marion Silver

Marlon Wayans

Tyrone C. Love

Christopher McDonald

Tappy Tibbons

Requiem for a Dream: Official Clip - Wait for Me

1:46

Requiem for a Dream: Official Clip - Fetal Position

3:05

Requiem for a Dream: Official Clip - Meaningless

1:36

Requiem for a Dream: Official Clip - I Know It's Pretty

1:56

Requiem for a Dream: Official Clip - Smart, Loyal and Not a Junkie

1:09

Requiem for a Dream: Official Clip - Feed Me, Sara

2:13

Requiem for a Dream: Official Clip - I Have a Favor to Ask

2:46

Requiem for a Dream: Official Clip - There's My Three Meals, Mr. Smartypants

1:16

Requiem for a Dream: Official Clip - We're on Our Way

1:42

Requiem for a Dream: Official Clip - The Red Dress

2:10

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Requiem for a Dream: Trailer 1

1:19

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Synopsis

Imaginatively evoking the inner landscape of human beings longing to connect, to love and feel loved, the film is a parable of happiness gloriously found and tragically lost. "Requiem for a Dream" tells parallel stories that are linked by the relationship between the lonely, widowed Sara Goldfarb and her sweet but aimless son, Harry. The plump Sara, galvanized by the prospect of appearing on a TV game show, has started on a dangerous diet regimen to beautify herself for a national audience.

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Producer: Eric Watson, Palmer West
Screenwriter: Darren Aronofsky, Darren Aronofsky
Distributor: Artisan Entertainment
Production Co: Industry Entertainment, Protozoa Pictures, Requiem for a Dream LLC, Thousand Words, Truth and Soul Pictures, Artisan Entertainment, Sibling Productions, Bandera Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 27, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 6, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.6M
Runtime: 1h 41m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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