Requiem for a Dream

Based on the novel by Hubert Selby Jr. , this gritty drama concerns four people trapped by their addictions. Harry ( Jared Leto ), and his best friend Tyrone ( Marlon Wayans ) are impoverished heroin addicts living in Coney Island, NY, while Harry's girlfriend Marion ( Jennifer Connelly ) is a fellow addict trying to distance herself from her wealthy father. Harry dreams of scoring a pound of smack, from which he could make enough money to open a clothing boutique with Marion, but so far he and his friends can barely scrape by supporting their own habits. Meanwhile, Harry's mother Sara ( Ellen Burstyn ), who spends her days watching television, is told she has the opportunity to appear on her favorite game show; wanting to lose enough weight to fit into her favorite red dress, she visits a sleazy doctor who gives her a prescription for amphetamines. Soon Sara has a drug habit of her own that is spiraling out of control. Requiem for a Dream was directed by Darren Aronofsky , who also co-wrote the screenplay with Selby ; it was Aronofsky 's second feature, following his acclaimed independent film Pi . — Mark Deming