Rating: 10/10
Review (No spoilers)
Requiem For A Dream is about an ambitious and creative man, Uncle Hank, played masterfully by well renowned actor Stanley Herman, who one day has a eureka moment when the neurons in his brain form a pattern previously thought impossible by the scientific community.
With his god given gift of being able to visualize concepts down to the very atom, he sets off on bringing his latest idea to life, which, today is something we may take for granted, but back then was as big a deal as inventing a new color.
The sheer creativity of this film shines in how it narrates the story. Where other movies would have followed Hank on their journey, the film follows his soon-to-be subjects, but why? It is commonly believed this is a metaphor, like how a thread, while hardly seen in clothing, is essential to holding the fabrics in place.
When Uncle Hank appears on the scene for the first time, it's the master tailor, sewing the first handbag, the first t-shirt, the first pair of jeans. Prior to this masterfully shot scene, we see the journey of the threads being made and twisted, until they eventually reach the eye of the needle.
The way the movie gracefully builds up to this moment cannot be expressed by mere words, it is like a well written multi versed poem describing a single item, within which every word has a poem of its own.
You've often seen people yell "Ass to ass!" in public, written in graffiti on abandoned buildings, or posted in comments sections in social media, but have you ever wondered where that phrase came from?
These were the famous words uttered by Stanley Herman as Uncle Hank. The pacing of the words, the highs and lows, the consistency of the pitch and depths of his vocal chords all do an immaculate job of conveying a concept once thought impossible. The excitement tremors and vibrates across his words, and can be felt so profoundly that even the least science savvy of people can fully grasp the incomparable implications of his discovery.
Behind him we are shown a group of men, absolutely lost for words, screaming like the first cavemen who discovered fire. The entire concept of words as a means of expression lose meaning, and in place we find primal roars, decoded by our subconscious, instead of the conscious.
Should it even be mentioned, how his facial expressions perfectly mimic the contracting and relaxing muscles of the mystical hands of a god knitting the fabric of the universe? His eyes shine through the mind of the viewer like a flashlight illuminating a cavern complex containing the first paintings of mankind, the first ever instances of written creative expression, printed across the smooth halls of an ancient tunnel long forgotten. His eyebrows arise with steel like confidence in the face of uncertainty. The gracious, gentle movements of his head represent the inevitable success and forward propulsion of knowledge and wisdom.
How Mr. Herman was able to perform this role so masterfully is a question the fans of the movies still remain wondering. A brief moment of screen time was able to impact viewers across the world, and leave them pondering about the nature of existence. It was there that people from different cultures and backgrounds learned how to put their differences aside, simply because he spoke in a language everyone could understand, a language unrelated to the human tongue.
He bridged the gap between two ends, and showed the power and ingenuity of the human mind. Truly, this movie revolutionized storytelling by not following the journey of Uncle Hank, because doing so would have created more confusion than wonder. The effort required to fully translate the life of such a character in a manner that most people would have understood would have taken years, instead, we follow him from a different angle, and that is how we ended up with the masterpiece known as Requiem For A Dream.
Plot (No spoilers)
The movie Requiem For A Dream attempts to portray the magnum opus of a genius referred to in the credits as Uncle Hank, played by famous actor Stanly Herman. However, because the medium of movies are too limited to convey this story in a respectful and accurate manner, the plot unfolds rather unusually.
Instead of following Uncle Hank's journey, we follow a group of young people whose experiences, thoughts and emotions aren't necessarily that important on their own, but in the context of storytelling, are absolutely crucial to understanding the core event that takes place near the end of the movie.
In fact, these characters had to take drugs in order to enter various states of consciousness just to get a vague comprehension of the story taking place, otherwise it just wouldn't make sense to both the characters and the viewers alike.
Writing any more would be spoiling a once in a lifetime experience, so this is as far as the plot will be discussed.
How to watch (No spoilers)
For the best viewing experience, it is important to keep in mind that what you are watching, while at first may seem like it is unrelated to the plot of the movie, is actually as important as the plot itself.
At certain points the movie presents altered levels of consciousness induced by drugs, and while the characters needed them for reasons mentioned above, luckily, we do not.
The viewer must think of the movie as a muted "How it's Made" video, where you are not told what the product is, and you only realize what is being made until the very end.
The ending, and comprehending life (No spoilers)
While it is hard to describe the ending without spoilers, what can be done is giving the tools with which the viewer can figure out the ending on their own, and I will not rob anyone of that experience.
What Uncle Hank produces there and then is the human experience summed up in a few words, and actions that burn in the eyes and mind of the viewer. From when humanity split off from the animal kingdom to the point it realized it is a part of it, it is all encapsulated in one single scene, masterfully shot and built up to.
It shows that in the grand scheme of things, there is neither a beginning nor an end, just a stream of existence that our perception tries to fit within the flawed borders of our understanding.
Image Credits: Mart Production at Pexels.com