Requiem for a Dream

How does editing, mis en scene, sound and cinematography in the opening sequence of Requiem for a dream represent the effects of drug abuse on the main characters?

Requiem for a dream was made in 2000, and was directed by Darren Aronofsky.

The film exposes the truth about drug addiction and the effects it has on peoples lives. It also shows people who are trying to fit into society which can have disastrous effects which causes them to turn to drugs to fit in. The film follows four individual characters and their addictions and is set in Brooklyn. The main protagonist in the film is Harry Goldfarb who is represented as a typical drug addict who has a plan to make money and be able to use drugs with his cocaine addicted girlfriend Marion and his long time friend Tyrone. Meanwhile Harry’s mother Sara Goldfarb who Is a widow is fanatical with the glamour of television where she finds herself obsessed with her eating habits and goes on a diet and gets addicted to diet pills that are prescribed to her by the doctor. The first ten minutes of the film is the most important. It introduces the characters, their daily lives and their personalities.

The film’s opening ten minutes suggests that the film is a drama, it starts with Harry shouting at his mother, then his mum runs and hides in the bathroom and the screen splits showing Harry and Sara’s reactions, also their movements cross over into each others half’s to create continuity editing, there are no cuts which draws the attention of the audience in. Aronofsky began this visual technique in "Pi" his debut film and continues it here where it becomes even more apparent by the use of the split screen techniques in the film which is often used to highlight two character's feelings on a certain situation but just as frequently to distinguish the utter loneliness and fear of his characters.Harry is represented as the main protagonist in this scene and represents drug addicts who will do anything for their next fix, in this instance he is using his mothers T.V as a source of money. This is the main equilibrium of the story line. Also by doing this the audience is introduced to what kind of characters are in the film and to show the neglect and loneliness of his mother. After this scene Tyrone is introduced in a medium close up then a full shot of him. This is proceeded by establishing shots of them pushing the T.V across Brooklyn’s Brighton beach and the crumbling shadows of Coney island amusement park. This is shown in montage editing, cuts of different shots mixed with the films credits showing the audience where the film is set. This scene also uses non- diegetic music which is a powerful sounding classical piece. This out of place music is used to make it seem more dramatic.

There are many examples of the importance of mis en scene in the opening ten minuets of the film, for example the film is set in three different seasons, summer, autumn and winter, which all have an effect on the characters attitudes, for example in the summer they are having a good time and all of the characters seem to be enjoying themselves. In autumn their moods are changed by a disequilibrium in the film and finally in the winter they are struggling to survive. The director used