informative report on requiem for a dream

[BOgart.bitch]

i had to write an informative report evaluating the realism of a piece of fiction, and i chose requiem for a dream. i thought the topic was rather interesting and im pleased with the outcome, so i thought id share. so for any of you who have seen the movie, or who are interested in it - you may be interested in what i've written *shrug*


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At what point does reality become clearly distinguishable from the dream world? People are motivated by fantasies, dreams, and goals. What happens when those fantasies become the central factor of someoneâ??s life? That is the point where things become a bit more dangerous. In the movie, Requiem for a Dream, the characters delve head on into a dream world, filled with drugs and the desires of money and fulfillment. The movie is set in a modern city, possibly New York. Each character endures a battle with drugs and with themselves. Although the movie depicts their fantasies in an exaggerated manner, almost every part of Requiem for a Dream is entirely realistic in terms of events, characters, and setting.

Several events in Requiem for a Dream take place that only further prove this filmâ??s realistic nature. The central event in the movie has to do with a drug deal. The leading man, Harry, gets together with his friend to buy a large amount of either cocaine or heroine to cut up and resell. Each part of this could take place in any city neighborhood, especially where the charactersâ?? natural human weaknesses come into play. As soon as Harry and his partner bring home the drug, the viewer is keyed in on an immediate piece of foreshadowing. Harryâ??s friend wants to â??tasteâ?� the product. When Harry objects, arguing that they have to play this right, his friendâ??s retort deals with having to taste the drug to ensure that they cut it up proportionally. This comment is just enough to lure Harry from his caution long enough for one hit. This scene is not a vital part of the movie, and furthermore, if it were removed no major part of the film would be affected. This scene is, however, crucial when displaying the charactersâ?? inner weaknesses and cluing the viewer in on eventual troubles the characters may run into due to those weaknesses. How many drug addicts could sit with a pound of pure in their living room without tasting it? Later in the movie, Harry has experiences which realistically represent his detachment from reality. While sitting at a food stand consuming freshly defrosted hot dogs, Harry is joined by a hungry cop out to get his nightly treat. As the cop sits down, Harry is jolted into a dreamlike state. He goes on to imagine stealing the copâ??s gun and forcing him to play monkey in the middle to retrieve his equipment. Of course, once Harry snaps out of his daydream, he instantly discards those thoughts, but itâ??s easy to see how his constant consumption of illicit substances ruptured his normal thought patterns. In his world, dreams become reality and reality becomes dreams. As Harry prepares to retire one night after a long day of pushing drugs, he is pulled into yet another fantasy. Harry looks out the window and sees his love, Marion, standing at the edge of a sea dock looking out into the sunny horizon. Then, Harry is suddenly standing there with her, trying desperately to obtain her attention. The moment she turns around the dream stops, and Harry is back in his room. One may very well idly glance over these events as they are taking place and dismiss them as fiction. But, on the contrary, Harryâ??s warped outlook on reality only further proves the real natures of his drug problem. The events proving the charactersâ?? weaknesses along with their dementia allow the viewer to get an exceptionally realistic taste of life in the drug world.

There are a variety of characters in this movie that prove to be multidimensional in every sense of the word. The leading character, Harry, begins as a young adult stealing his motherâ??s television for drug money. Instantaneously, he proves his two-sided nature as he apologizes to his mother while carrying off her TV, and reassures her that she can buy it back later. His apology and logic do not put him in the right, but they do prove that his mind is, in fact, not one track. As the movie progresses, viewers see Harry build himself up using his fantasies and dreams, and then later viewers see him being broken down by his mistakes. Even though it is clear that Harry is a good person, the movie stays unmerciful, allowing Harry to dig his own grave and fall into his eventual demise. At the end of the movie Harry is left with nothing. He has no family, girlfriend, friends, drugs, money, or freedom. Harryâ??s girlfriend, Marion, is just as complex. She starts out with an innocence that has only been slightly faded by her dangerous lifestyle. But when she finally hits bottom, her innocence completely shatters, leaving her alone and selling her body and dignity for another hit. Harryâ??s mother begins as a timid old woman living alone in her city apartment. She is left with no comforts but food and television, which constantly plays a motivational infomercial. She remains in this lonely slump until one day when she receives a mysterious phone call telling her that she has won and that she will be on a television game show. She is told to wait for the letter to arrive by mail with more details, and wait she does. Harryâ??s mom is so excited by this event that even she gets drawn into the world of dreams. Her mind is flooded with fantasies about fame and being loved and, most importantly, of having her son and husband by her side once again. The game show becomes her mental salvation. She rummages through her closet for the perfect outfit and stumbles upon her late husbandâ??s favorite red dress that once made her feel beautiful. This dress became her primary focus, being critical in replicating her youthful beauty and bringing back memories of her late husband. She discovers while trying the dress on that she has gained a significant amount of weight and immediately decides that a diet is critical. Normal dieting almost drove her crazy, causing her to have nightmares of the pleasurable snacks she was missing each night. To solve this problem, she goes to a doctor who prescribes her four various uppers and one downer. The speed would keep her going to lose the weight, and the downer would counteract the speed enough to allow her a peaceful nightâ??s sleep. The pills did aid her in losing the weight, but at the same time they drove her insane. Her reality was distorted so badly that the actors in the infomercial came to life in her mind. By this point, Harryâ??s mother is so far gone that her transformation becomes crystal. As in every real life scenario, the drugs attacked her insecurities, and then they mutated her into someone she would never have dreamt of becoming. Seeing each of these characters being drowned by their own addictions is in no way comforting, but itâ??s real. And in the real world, comfort comes second to consequence.

Although the setting in Requiem for a Dream is, for the most part, an exceptional display of both a modern day large city and a rural southern jail, there are places in the movie that stretch reality. For instance, when Harryâ??s mother goes to the doctor, pieces of artistic exaggeration are brought forth to support the mood of the moment. While increasing the overall spooky mood of the doctorâ??s office, the doctor retreating into a dark abyss is not all that realistic. Apart from that scene and a few others, the setting in the movie tends to follow the trails of realism closely. When Harry and his friend are imprisoned in the south, each aspect of the small town southern jail is captured. From the flickering lights overhead to the intense racism and prejudice of the guards, the time and place are captured factually with very few fictional errors. Although the city life scenes of the movie are left being extremely general, the basic elements of city life are still present. Condensed streets, an abundance of public transportation, and heavy amounts of noise pollution are only a few of the details that bring the city, along with the rest of the movie, to life.

Hollywood has made most of its money aiding the masses in escaping reality. Reality is harsh, which is why people go to Hollywood for their comedic medication and scripted fairytale endings. Requiem for a Dream is unlike the average comedy or drama because its ending was in no way happy or light hearted. Actually, there was hardly a light hearted scene in the entire movie. While this fact makes the movie a very intense and difficult watch, it also makes the movie all the more captivating and effective. Requiem for a dream takes drugs and wipes away all of their aesthetic glory. The movie leads viewers to the core of addiction, past the glamour to the pure tragedy of it all. As viewers watch each character plummet to their own unique demise, it leaves them with a lot to ponder. Requiem for a Dream uses reality as its weapon and is all the better for it.

BOgart.bitch Reviewed by BOgart.bitch on 02-11-2005. informative report on requiem for a dream i had to write an informative report evaluating the realism of a piece of fiction, and i chose requiem for a dream. i thought the topic was rather interesting and im pleased with the outcome, so i thought id share. so for any of you who have seen the movie, or who are interested in it - you may be interested in what i've written *shrug* Welcome to the Real World :: Please Enjoy Your Stay :: At what point does reality become clearly distinguishable from the dream world? People are Rating: 5

[slipnslide087]

i just scrolled down to say it looks nice. just by the length i give it a thumbs up. i didnt attempt to read thru it though.

[BOgart.bitch]

hahaha well thank you

[robert42]

wow thats too long for me to read im a stoner i read one line and forget the last lol

[HeLTeR.SKeLTeR]

I actually read all of it and I enjoyed it alot. I've seen this movie alot and I love it, it's definetly awesome.

Props for choosing that movie and for some great writing to.

[BOgart.bitch]

yay thanks someone read it ;]

and i do agree, it is a fantastic and moving movie

[MiNdYoU]

he didn't read it, hes just being courteous, ill be real, ididdn't read it

[MiNdYoU]

say requiem for a dream(saw<correctionthat way, too far back to return), it was a good movie,

[BOgart.bitch]

*shrugs*

[F L E S H]

Good stuff. I loved the movie, and your report is nicely done too

But wow, that movie left a lasting impression on me... It's pretty scary to see how things can degenerate so quickly because of an uncontrollable drug problem...