Requiem for a Dream is a 2000 American surrealist psychological drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Jared Leto, Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher McDonald, and Marlon Wayans. It is based on the 1978 novel of the same name by Hubert Selby Jr., with whom Aronofsky wrote the screenplay. The film depicts four characters affected by drug addiction and how it alters their physical and emotional states. Their addictions cause them to become imprisoned in a world of delusion and desperation. As the film progresses, each character deteriorates, and their delusions are shattered by the harsh reality of their situations, resulting in catastrophe.
Theatrical release poster
Image: Ellen Burstyn at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Image: Jared Leto, San Diego Comic Con 2016 (2)
Darren Aronofsky is an American filmmaker. His films are noted for their surreal, melodramatic, and often disturbing elements, frequently in the form of psychological fiction.
Aronofsky in July 2015
Aronofsky with the cast and crew of Black Swan
Aronofsky at the premiere of The Whale in 2022
Aronofsky with frequent collaborators Matthew Libatique and Andrew Weisblum