Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Most people watch Requiem for a Dream exactly once, and that’s both the point and the problem. Darren Aronofsky turns addiction into a rhythm, the same quick snap of close-ups again and again, until the style starts to feel like the thing he cares about most. The final act piles on so hard that it stops building and just hits. But Ellen Burstyn is extraordinary. Her Sara is a lonely widow who wants one good thing, a red dress and a moment on TV, and every scene with her humming refrigerator and her empty apartment feels painfully real. Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayans play people who are smarter than their choices, which is what makes it hurt. That string theme will follow you around for days. It made $7.4 million worldwide on a reported $4.5 million, and audiences rate it way higher than critics do. An 8.3 because it’s honest about where this road goes. $6.85 says you put on a comedy right after, and nobody blames you.

What works: Ellen Burstyn’s devastating performance and an editing style that makes you feel the characters’ cravings and crashes.

What doesn’t: The repetitive visual tricks start to feel like showing off, and the last act is so relentless it numbs more than it moves.

Who it’s for: Viewers ready for a serious, heavy drama about addiction who don’t need a happy ending to call a film worthwhile.