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Requiem for a Dream [Screenplay]
From the writer/director of the acclaimed film Pi, the screen-adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr.'s classic cult novel. Requiem for a Dream is a modern-day fable set on the rusted mean streets of Brooklyn's Coney Island that follows the stories of four people desperately in pursuit of a better life. Oscar-winning actress Ellen Burstyn stars as Sara, a widowed mother obsessed with her waistline and addicted to diet pills and the thought of appearing on television. Her son Harry (Jared Leto), his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly), and his best friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans in a surprising dramatic debut), are junkies in search of the American dream - only in their world fortunes are won through a successful score and sell operation and the three long to lay their hands on the pound of heroin that, once unloaded, will finance a legitimate business of their own. Soon enough, though, their earnest pursuits begin to take on horrifying dimensions; and, even as their world crumbles around them, Sara, Harry, Marion and Tyrone refuse to let go, plummeting with their dreams in a nightmarish freefall not soon to be forgotten.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
9 people are currently reading
1,012 people want to read
About the author
Darren Aronofsky
51books173followersDarren S. Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. He attended Harvard University and AFI to study both live-action and animation film theory, where he met long-time collaborator Matthew Libatique. He won several film awards after completing his senior thesis film, "Supermarket Sweep", starring Sean Gullette, which went on to become a National Student Academy Award finalist.
Aronofsky did not make a feature film until five years later, creating the concept for his debut feature, π, in February 1996. The low-budget, $60,000 production, starring Sean Gullette, was sold to Artisan Entertainment for $1 million, and grossed over $3 million; it won both a Sundance Film Festival award and an Independent Spirit Award. Aronofsky's followup, Requiem for a Dream, was based on the novel of the same name written by Hubert Selby, Jr. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Ellen Burstyn's performance. After turning down an opportunity to direct Batman Begins, Aronofsky began production on his third film, The Fountain. The film was released to mixed reviews and poor box office results.
However, his next film, The Wrestler, rebounded with positive reviews and healthy box office. Both of the film's stars, Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei, received Academy Award nominations. Rourke also won a Golden Globe for Best Actor and Bruce Springsteen won for Best Original Song for his title song. Aronofsky's next film, Black Swan, received further critical acclaim and many accolades, being nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, four Golden Globes including Best Motion Picture � Drama and Best Director, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a record 12 BFCA nominations and a DGA nomination.
Aronofsky did not make a feature film until five years later, creating the concept for his debut feature, π, in February 1996. The low-budget, $60,000 production, starring Sean Gullette, was sold to Artisan Entertainment for $1 million, and grossed over $3 million; it won both a Sundance Film Festival award and an Independent Spirit Award. Aronofsky's followup, Requiem for a Dream, was based on the novel of the same name written by Hubert Selby, Jr. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Ellen Burstyn's performance. After turning down an opportunity to direct Batman Begins, Aronofsky began production on his third film, The Fountain. The film was released to mixed reviews and poor box office results.
However, his next film, The Wrestler, rebounded with positive reviews and healthy box office. Both of the film's stars, Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei, received Academy Award nominations. Rourke also won a Golden Globe for Best Actor and Bruce Springsteen won for Best Original Song for his title song. Aronofsky's next film, Black Swan, received further critical acclaim and many accolades, being nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, four Golden Globes including Best Motion Picture � Drama and Best Director, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a record 12 BFCA nominations and a DGA nomination.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 28, 2017
So tragic but, I think it is fancy novel. However; I never been in a deep feeling and interactive with such novels ever.
Therefore; I decide to watch the film as I heard it was fillmed recently!
Also I would like to mention to the good way of writing this story which makes the reader well-linked to the story scenario.
Well done!
Therefore; I decide to watch the film as I heard it was fillmed recently!
Also I would like to mention to the good way of writing this story which makes the reader well-linked to the story scenario.
Well done!
July 23, 2016
Poetic.
April 28, 2015
Hmm . . . great read! Yet sadly, this is not actually just a story; these type of people exist and there is millions of them. Unfortunately this type of thing is only spreading throughout our society more and more as time goes on. I've been there myself and . . . it sucks. But at one point in my life it really did come down to either ‘sell drugs and eat or don't sell drugs and don't eat� . . . usually the drugs would vanquish any hunger I had anyway, but then addiction is still a form of hunger, right? It's a tough one to escape, so much so that it took a death of a friend to finally wake me up; twenty four and in a coffin . . . that's not on. So enough was enough, I tried getting my sh*t together. It was a struggle but I'm clean now, pretty much, anyway; when one used to be a drug enthusiast it's kind of hard to let that kind of thing go altogether, so. . . OK, honesty is the key, I believe. I smoke a bit of weed, drink more than I'd like, and very very occasionally dabble in things that make me see weird stuff –magical fungi. I think it's not about not doing drugs, it's about having the control to respect them; most things in life are fine in moderation, and pretty much everything can kill you so . . .
The prostitution for drugs or drug money in the book I think gets to me the most . . . probably because it’s the one I’ve been the most disturbed by in our society today; people will do weird stuff for drugs . . .
This book is a great insight into the drug culture and the minds of a drug addict. Full on, fast paced, disorientating and depressing, it is basically what being a drug addict is really like. Must read! Well done! If you liked this book then check out my novel same tone, real life stuff + Squatpunk, Stabhouse, Slasher, HowlerFiction.
December 30, 2008
Amazing film. I haven't read the book, but I must. After watching this I just sat in awe. It deserves more then 5 stars.
April 20, 2023
Requiem For A Dream by Darren Aronofsky, one of the greatest movies of all time
10 out of 10
This narrative works splendidly on many levels, first of all, it is a majestic motion picture, with superb acting, a marvelous director, outstanding script, everything about it is phenomenal, and then you can learn so much from it, from how bad things can get when one is addicted � Things Fall Apart which is incidentally the name of a magnum opus by Chinua Achebe � to drugs or weight losing pills, or other substance or activity.
The other way to benefit from this saga � in fact there are other countless perspectives, this being a masterpiece, it does have maybe as many angles as viewers � would be to see how low the protagonists have descended to a nadir and when comparing with them see how fortunate we are � one of the rules of happiness is called ‘Happiness Activity No 1: Expressing Gratitude –counting your blessings for what you have either to a close other or privately, maybe in a journal, conveying gratitude to one or more individuals you haven’t properly thanked� in The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky
In the same marvelous, wondrous opus we have Happiness Activity No 3: Avoid Over thinking and Social Comparison- using strategies such as distraction to cut down on how often you dwell on your problems and compare yourself with others only I have found a version in some other work, which suggests that we could look at those who have less, like Sara, Harry, Marion and Tyrone in the motion picture, and compare with them
Aristotle has written some wise lines on drama, the way it should have reversal and revelation � as in Oedipus Rex, where the messenger brings the news that make the hero realize he had killed his father and married his mother - - and how the hero must have traits that the audience thinks it has, the fall in the drama has to make sense, the main character could not be too close to perfection, for it would be hard to take, he must make some mistake, otherwise his descent would be unfair and the public will reject it
Aristotle states that the purpose of tragedy is to arouse “terror and pity� and thereby effect the catharsis of these emotions…in a tragedy, a happy ending doesn't make us happy� indeed, as I was saying above, it could work in the sense that when we see what happens to the characters their fall will make us see that we are much better, also, alternatively, the rich, mighty could understand that they can experience misfortune and be more humble, prudent, become better at the end of a good drama, tragedy�
Over the past few weeks , I have been very upset with the downgrading of the service, facilities at the club Downtown � they do not take the trouble to fix anything, from the saunas that are decrepit and offer the incandescent temperature of 50 degrees Celsius up to about ten o’clock (maybe after I abandon the premises it gets to 120, so there is this caveat, albeit it is more than doubtful such miracle takes places, and besides, they have sent messages saying they are closed for some days) to…a cheap battery needed for the weighing gadget, the rusty seal for the airing system in the hammam, which could not be more than ten dollars.
Maybe it is like Requiem For A Dream, those personages are addicted to drugs, and we are dependent on these saunas, utilities, and we have nowhere else to go, and the chain that has a near (or perhaps absolute) monopoly in the market can play the game it wants, closing the outdoor Jacuzzi and blaming it on the Hotel…by the way, The Radisson is both a major disappointment and a puzzle in this beano
The Radisson is supposed to offer a high standard, their ads on CNN pretend that their clients are so spoiled, whereas what we see at this gym that is used by paying subscribers from this city (like myself) and the guests of the hotel…how is it that employees from the Radisson do not take the trouble to check, at least once in a while, the abysmal service (or lack thereof) that is on offer at this ‘wellness� outfit, which has a policy of cutting expenses to the point where one has to keep wondering what is off next.
There is in fact some sort of race to the bottom, the outdoors Jacuzzi is closed by the hotel (at least that is what the spa claims) and then the other party in this ‘relationship� cuts down the indoors one � it was off because a client has vomited in the water, says the manager, because evidently, the clients, hotel and higher echelons are responsible for that is wrong, and presumably, she is to be cherished for whatever works, when it does
One of the most influential, illustrious psychologists of our time, Malcolm Gladwell has a few miracle books, Outliers, Blink, Talking to Strangers, and the excellent The Tipping Point wherein he explains what happens in places that are neglected or abandoned (to joke, just like this Club and that side of the Radisson that refers to ‘spa�) where crime becomes rampant, and he cites the case of New York.
Where windows were broken, graffiti was everywhere, and the areas were dirty and run down, crime levels were high, but when authorities changed their strategy and started focusing on the ‘small crime� and took care of those sectors � when they stopped the fellows that jumped to avoid paying at the subway, they found that many also had illegal guns, or/and drugs - and taking care of the ‘smaller problems� helped with solving the major issues � in the same manner, I think the club would do well to fix the trouble (the hotel should do its job better too) because when they give the impression that they neglect and do not care, clients are more aggressive, pour water on the feeble stove in the sauna, and make it even more ‘capricious�, they turn their frustration towards the showers and other spaces and this becomes a vicious spiral, just like in Requiem for A Dream
Written by Revolutionary Realini � the link proving that is here an article from Newsweek, covering the 1989 Revolution that ended the Ceausescu regime
10 out of 10
This narrative works splendidly on many levels, first of all, it is a majestic motion picture, with superb acting, a marvelous director, outstanding script, everything about it is phenomenal, and then you can learn so much from it, from how bad things can get when one is addicted � Things Fall Apart which is incidentally the name of a magnum opus by Chinua Achebe � to drugs or weight losing pills, or other substance or activity.
The other way to benefit from this saga � in fact there are other countless perspectives, this being a masterpiece, it does have maybe as many angles as viewers � would be to see how low the protagonists have descended to a nadir and when comparing with them see how fortunate we are � one of the rules of happiness is called ‘Happiness Activity No 1: Expressing Gratitude –counting your blessings for what you have either to a close other or privately, maybe in a journal, conveying gratitude to one or more individuals you haven’t properly thanked� in The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky
In the same marvelous, wondrous opus we have Happiness Activity No 3: Avoid Over thinking and Social Comparison- using strategies such as distraction to cut down on how often you dwell on your problems and compare yourself with others only I have found a version in some other work, which suggests that we could look at those who have less, like Sara, Harry, Marion and Tyrone in the motion picture, and compare with them
Aristotle has written some wise lines on drama, the way it should have reversal and revelation � as in Oedipus Rex, where the messenger brings the news that make the hero realize he had killed his father and married his mother - - and how the hero must have traits that the audience thinks it has, the fall in the drama has to make sense, the main character could not be too close to perfection, for it would be hard to take, he must make some mistake, otherwise his descent would be unfair and the public will reject it
Aristotle states that the purpose of tragedy is to arouse “terror and pity� and thereby effect the catharsis of these emotions…in a tragedy, a happy ending doesn't make us happy� indeed, as I was saying above, it could work in the sense that when we see what happens to the characters their fall will make us see that we are much better, also, alternatively, the rich, mighty could understand that they can experience misfortune and be more humble, prudent, become better at the end of a good drama, tragedy�
Over the past few weeks , I have been very upset with the downgrading of the service, facilities at the club Downtown � they do not take the trouble to fix anything, from the saunas that are decrepit and offer the incandescent temperature of 50 degrees Celsius up to about ten o’clock (maybe after I abandon the premises it gets to 120, so there is this caveat, albeit it is more than doubtful such miracle takes places, and besides, they have sent messages saying they are closed for some days) to…a cheap battery needed for the weighing gadget, the rusty seal for the airing system in the hammam, which could not be more than ten dollars.
Maybe it is like Requiem For A Dream, those personages are addicted to drugs, and we are dependent on these saunas, utilities, and we have nowhere else to go, and the chain that has a near (or perhaps absolute) monopoly in the market can play the game it wants, closing the outdoor Jacuzzi and blaming it on the Hotel…by the way, The Radisson is both a major disappointment and a puzzle in this beano
The Radisson is supposed to offer a high standard, their ads on CNN pretend that their clients are so spoiled, whereas what we see at this gym that is used by paying subscribers from this city (like myself) and the guests of the hotel…how is it that employees from the Radisson do not take the trouble to check, at least once in a while, the abysmal service (or lack thereof) that is on offer at this ‘wellness� outfit, which has a policy of cutting expenses to the point where one has to keep wondering what is off next.
There is in fact some sort of race to the bottom, the outdoors Jacuzzi is closed by the hotel (at least that is what the spa claims) and then the other party in this ‘relationship� cuts down the indoors one � it was off because a client has vomited in the water, says the manager, because evidently, the clients, hotel and higher echelons are responsible for that is wrong, and presumably, she is to be cherished for whatever works, when it does
One of the most influential, illustrious psychologists of our time, Malcolm Gladwell has a few miracle books, Outliers, Blink, Talking to Strangers, and the excellent The Tipping Point wherein he explains what happens in places that are neglected or abandoned (to joke, just like this Club and that side of the Radisson that refers to ‘spa�) where crime becomes rampant, and he cites the case of New York.
Where windows were broken, graffiti was everywhere, and the areas were dirty and run down, crime levels were high, but when authorities changed their strategy and started focusing on the ‘small crime� and took care of those sectors � when they stopped the fellows that jumped to avoid paying at the subway, they found that many also had illegal guns, or/and drugs - and taking care of the ‘smaller problems� helped with solving the major issues � in the same manner, I think the club would do well to fix the trouble (the hotel should do its job better too) because when they give the impression that they neglect and do not care, clients are more aggressive, pour water on the feeble stove in the sauna, and make it even more ‘capricious�, they turn their frustration towards the showers and other spaces and this becomes a vicious spiral, just like in Requiem for A Dream
Written by Revolutionary Realini � the link proving that is here an article from Newsweek, covering the 1989 Revolution that ended the Ceausescu regime
February 4, 2020
This book was amazing and showed me a whole knew world into the minds and psyche of mankind. All four of the characters in this story are longing for connection of some sort and for each of them, it eventually leads to their downfall. They all became drug addicts at the end or worse. I found this book because it was sad to be one of the hardest movies to watch due to its rough nature, odd cinematography and the realness of the tough topics it is discussing is too hard for most audiences. I think this book is a great book to read for any mental health professional, anyone struggling with addiction or loneliness, and educated students. You can analyze and break down this book in many different ways and with that, I think it would be a great book to introduce discussion into the classroom setting and or with friends.
February 1, 2021
I learned so much from this script...And I'm not talking about the story which is just fascinating (The movie is also a must-watch) I'm talking about the art of writing a script.Darren is among the best and I would love to read more of his work.
February 8, 2021
I'm gonna be totally honest: I did not read the fine print on my local library website before I requested this book. It was a nice read, though. I'm very disappointed in myself for not getting the right book, but this book was definitely a pleasant surprise.
December 20, 2020
A very powerful and tragic story. The writing style was difficult at first due to the format but if you stick with it you are rewarded in the end. This book does not have a happy ending so if you are looking for that then don’t read this one. This one is about abuse, mainly drug abuse and people succumbing to their methods of drug abuse in one capacity or another. I do recommend this book for people that are looking for something a bit deeper and something that will leave a lasting impact on you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2020
Selby intenta escribir algo shoqueante. Recien mejora el libro en las ultimas 20 paginas. Tiene al menos 200 paginas de mas, largo, tedioso, repetitivo estupido, previsible. Veredicto? Si no lo leen no se pierden nada
March 9, 2022
قلم👍🏼
مفوم👍🏼
داستان👎🏼
مفوم👍🏼
داستان👎🏼
April 28, 2022
One of the most frightening reading & watching experience i’ve ever encountered to date.
February 18, 2024
It was good, but the book is even better.
June 30, 2009
This book is not for those looking for a clean read. This portrays a bunch of young friends searching for the American dream and the only way out of the slums is through selling heroine. Those of you who know me, know I love anything about psychology, including the downfall of man. Why do people do things and what leads them to act the way they do?
April 30, 2008
Far better than the movie (as most books are). Creative punctuation makes for a unique read.
January 22, 2011
This movie freaked me out. Aronofsky is the master of psycho-concentrated manipulation of the audience's mind.
September 14, 2012
Dark dark dark. I loved the insight into the characters perspectives. It was a great but terribly disturbing read.
September 5, 2014
This is the very first screenplay I ever read. It was also the first screenplay I read before watching the movie. I was hooked. I'm currently a student filmmaker, and with that said is enough.
July 4, 2022
WOW! This was such a good read.
October 4, 2014
Scary stuff
July 25, 2016
Not for me, though it was an interesting look into that lifestyle. I found it a little too depressing.
Want to read
January 11, 2013THIS WAS THE BEST MOVIE. EVER.
June 14, 2013
It rattles you. Kinda depressing but worth it.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
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