Requiem for a Dream tells the story of four societal misfits struggling with drug addiction. Director Darren Aronofsky uses innovative cinematography, editing, sound, and mise-en-scene techniques to immerse viewers in the characters' deteriorating psychological states. These include split screens, close-ups, lighting, and a rapid "hip-hop" editing style that captures the obsessive and repetitive nature of addiction. The film examines how addiction can quickly consume and destroy people's lives through the declining mental and physical states of the main characters.

1. REQUIEM FOR A DREAM
Requiem for a Dream, directed by Darren Aronofsky, is a generational film and a
philosophical one that serves as an inspiration for the theme and the basic element
of my short film; misfits of society. The film tells the story of a four societal
failures/misfits, Sarah Goldfarb, her son Harry, his girlfriend Marion and their friend
Tyrone who find themselves inside the hellish world of drug addiction.
Requiem for a Dream is extremely rich in film language as Aronofsky makes a great
use of cinematography, mise en scene, editing, and sound in order to construct a
meaning and create an effect on the viewer.
The cinematography techniques used by Aronofsky are very unique and add
professionalism and complexity to the film. He uses a variety of shots throughout the
film; from close-ups to experimental ‘split screens’. In the opening scene, we are
introduced to a character named Harry who is stealing his mother’s TV to fund his
drug habit. In this shot, Aronofsky makes a good use of split screen to show Harry’s
detached relationship with his mother. The split down in the middle of the frame as
well as the locked doors, function as a metaphorical barrier between Harry and his
mother. In addition, his mother (Sara) is looking down at harry through a keyhole and
much of the vision of her son is obscured by the door, therefore making it a very
impersonal shot that implies uneasiness and intimidation. As Harry leaves, a wipe
returns the shot into a single, whole frame which shows that tension leaves as he
does.

2. Aronofsky also makes a good use of close-ups in this film. Close up shots imply a
more personal relationship between the audience and the character on screen. Short
close-up shots convey a sense of claustrophobic intensity. Long close-up shots
convey loneliness and alienation. For example, there is a scene in the film where
a character named Marion resorts to prostitution to get herself a bag of heroin. In this
scene, we watch Merion walking out of an apartment after the first time she had to
do so (selling her body to support her addiction), and because of the ‘extended’

3. close-up, the viewer gets a better understanding of the loneliness and the shame
that she feels.
Aronofsky also uses low angles in this film. Whilst a high angle can make a subject
seem small and vulnerable, a low angle will give the subject a sense of authority and
make it feel imposing. Throughout the film, Sara (Harry’s mother) feels profound
loneliness and we see this through the low angle shots of her TV that make it feel
imposing and its domineering presence in her life that she can’t seem to escape.
As a result, these techniques enable an effective use of cinematography as it
enhances the viewer’s experience of the film and evokes certain feelings that
Aronofsky wants us to feel.
Aronofsky innovative use of mise-en-scene contributes towards the creation of the
many themes that we see in the film and the audience’s response to both the
characters and the overall story. The arrangement of everything that appears in a

4. frame can have a big impact on the audience. In Requiem for a Dream, Aronofsky
pays acute attention to detail and manipulates mise en scene effectively.
An important aspect of mise-en-scene is lighting. Aronofsky use of dark and oddly
coloured lighting throughout the narrative creates a pessimistic mood, which mirrors
its characters. Sara Goldfarb is a lonely, old woman who is dependent on television
(particularly infomercials) and becomes obsessed with losing weight after she wins a
spot to participate in a game show. The lighting in most of Sara’s scenes consists of
a flashing television screen, a fluorescent kitchen light, and an occasional lighting
from the sunny outdoors. However, as the movie progresses, harsh lighting is seen
throughout the rest of the movie and the television flashes faster and faster.
Moreover, lighting in scenes that feature Harry, Marion, and Tyrone are often lit by
streetlights, red, blue, and green lights. Therefore, Aronofsky uses the lighting to
represent the (in) stability of the characters lives and reflect the mood of the
characters rather than to simply show what they physically look like, but what their
emotions are at the time.
Another aspect of mise-en-scene is setting. Aronofsky filmed Requiem for a Dream
in Brooklyn which is considered to be one of the poorest and the least attractive
borough in New York city. As a result, Aronofsky chose this location to highlight the
class and economic background of the characters.

5. In Requiem for a Dream, the sound shapes our interpretation of the visuals and
allows us to feel empathy for the characters. In most films, diegetic and non-diegetic
sound can be distinguished but in Requiem for a Dream, there are parts where the
audience can’t distinguish between them. For example, there is a scene where Sara
dances to a song after she takes some pills and then the same music plays in a later
scene where Sara is suffering from delusions as we see her imagine that she is on
her favorite television show.
Rudolf Arnheim states in his book; Film as Art that “the addition of spoken dialogue
has been defined by some critics as a device for saving time, space, and ingenuity –
a saving that would reserve the available limited length of the film and the creative
energy of the maker for the truly relevant content of the work”. In Requiem for a
Dream, Aronofsky uses dialogue to convey information within the story (to other
characters) and outside the story (to the audience). For example, in the phone scene
where Marion says “Harry, can you come home today?” and Harry says he will but
both the audience and Marion realise hope is lost and that he won’t come back.
Therefore, the way Aronofsky presents dialogue in this scene (using silent sound
pauses in the beginning of the scene) conveys the characters feelings to us and
creates empathy.

6. The technique of the Soviet Montage theory is applied in Requiem for a Dream
through the brilliant visuals, split screens and a variety of cuts. Aronofsky puts a twist
on this montage and creates something that he refers to as “hip-hop montage”.
Hip-hop montage is a rapid series of actions depicted in fast motion to the
accompaniment of non-diegetic sound. This style of editing in the film works as a
means of unifying the stories of its four different characters. Every action that one
takes, in turn, affects the other. Therefore, without the fast-paced editing, this
consequence would be lost on the audience even though it’s the main driving force
behind the film’s excellence. The quick cuts create feelings of obsession and
repetitiveness that the characters find themselves in due to the abusive drugs.
Additionally, the editing forces the audience to understand what it’s like to be trapped
in a vicious cycle of addiction regardless of whether it’s to food or drugs. It makes the
audience reflect on what they might be obsessed with, its consequences for the
people around them and the cycle that they’re living through. Aronofsky and editor
Jay Rabinowitz shortened the length of scenes as the film grew older in run time. It
starts off with an average of 90 seconds to 2 minutes of uncut scenes and then
gradually reduces so by the final act, everything is moving at uncontrollable speed.
Time is of the essence because they’re on the brink of destruction. As a result, the

7. shortening of the scenes emphasizes how quick one can be entrapped by addiction
and how quickly it can destroy them. It reflects the outcome of the lives of the
characters who no longer control themselves as their world spins due to
uncontrollable addiction and depressing outcomes. The audience also become
trapped in this story as the characters’ quest for satisfaction causes them to enter
darkness and never return. Therefore, this effect can only be achieved through the
masterful editing style and choices that this film employs.
The time-lapse style of editing combined with quick cutting particularly in scenes
where we see Sara’s addiction and hallucinations take over, contribute to the idea of
mental consumption as it represents how quickly one can become entrapped and
find comfort within that addiction. With every shown of Tappy ( Tappy Tibbons is the
creator of Sara’s favourite infomercial) followed by the ingestion of pills, we see the
deterioration of the character before our own eyes. The repetition of these montages
in the same style once again contributes to that idea of being trapped in a vicious
cycle. The constant need to escape from reality and the way that the mind quickly
facilitates around two worlds is aided by the editing style of Requiem for a Dream.
Without this truly impeccable editing style of Rabinowitz, the film would be merely a
piece of anti-drug propaganda. But the unique editing style of Requiem for a Dream
reels in its audience and makes the addiction universal, beyond just drug abuse.
To conclude, this film has achieved that rare distinction of being a low-budget, high-
impact movie due to its mise en scene, cinematography, sound, representation of
characters and unique style of editing. These elements work together and produce a
unique product that covers many themes that are the heart of contemporary
society; media, drugs, sex, and social alienation. The use of editing is particularly
successful as it allows us to follow the journey of how quickly life can become

8. depressing for the characters (vice verse for some of us humans) as we witness the
before and after of these characters. By the end of the film, Harry no longer looks as
youthful as before and the same can be said for Marion, while Tyrone is devoid of his
confidence. Although Sara does undergo a tumultuous weight loss, mental
deterioration and changes throughout the film, I think she wasn’t sane in the first
place as drugs only caused her underlying neurosis to become full-blown insanity
that can never be treated. This makes Ellen Burstyn role as Sara very depressing as
it made me feel uneasy and pinned a horrible mood for days after watching it.
Therefore, if a film can create such a profound impact on its audience then it’s
guaranteed to become successful and attract a cult following.