Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Movie · 2000 · Crime, Drama · 1h 42m · NR · English

Curator score: 8.4/10 (2.5M ratings)

Overview

The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island residents are shattered when their addictions run deep.

Ratings

Director

Darren Aronofsky

Production

Artisan Entertainment, Thousand Words, Protozoa Pictures, Industry Entertainment Partners, Bandeira Entertainment

Cast

Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, Christopher McDonald, Louise Lasser, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Janet Sarno, Suzanne Shepherd, Joanne Gordon, Charlotte Aronofsky, Mark Margolis, Michael Kaycheck, Jack A. O'Connell, Chas Mastin, Ajay Naidu, Sean Gullette, Samia Shoaib, Peter Maloney, Abraham Abraham

Where to watch

Peacock Premium, AMC+, Philo, Sundance Now, Peacock Premium Plus

Curator Review

Verdict

A brutal, formally daring descent into addiction, obsession, and self-destruction. It’s not an easy watch, but it’s one of the most unforgettable anti-drug dramas ever made, with overwhelming sound, editing, and performances that turn despair into a sensory assault.

Best for

  • Viewers who want intense, emotionally punishing drama
  • Fans of bold visual style and aggressive editing
  • People interested in addiction narratives and psychological collapse
  • Audiences who appreciate performances that go all-in

Skip if

  • You want a hopeful or uplifting story
  • You’re sensitive to graphic sexual content and body horror-adjacent imagery
  • You prefer subtle, understated filmmaking
  • You’re looking for a rewatchable comfort movie

Overview

Requiem for a Dream is less a drama than a full-body panic attack. Darren Aronofsky turns addiction into a machine of repetition and ruin, using split screens, rapid-fire montage, and Clint Mansell’s score to make every craving feel like a trap closing in. It is relentless by design, and that relentlessness is the point.

Top Letterboxd reviews

kayla (5★) · 25406 likes

This is a horror movie

john (4★) · 24721 likes

my choices tonight were between this and My Neighbor Totoro

Brendan Michaels · 20566 likes

I never want to hear the phrase, "Ass to Ass" ever again in my entire life.

p e r s i a 🍒 (4★) · 15344 likes

This was an incredible movie but I am never ever ever ever ever EVER going to watch it again.

rodolfo (4★) · 15177 likes

i can’t believe i got jump scared by a refrigerator

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Topics

addiction, psychological descent, urban despair, body horror, tragic drama, art-house intensity, anxiety, obsession, social collapse

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