Where to watch Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Requiem for a Dream is available to stream in GB on Lionsgate+. It can also be rented or bought from Amazon and AppleTV.
Four residents pursue personal dreams while struggling with different forms of addiction. As their hopes of love, success, recognition, and a better life become increasingly tied to dangerous habits, their relationships and lives begin to unravel in a harrowing psychological drama.
Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, Christopher McDonald, Louise Lasser, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Janet Sarno, Suzanne Shepherd, Joanne Gordon, Charlotte Aronofsky, Mark Margolis
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Trivia & production notes
- Darren Aronofsky conceptualized Requiem for a Dream not primarily as a drug film, but as an exploration of addiction in all its forms—drawing a parallel between heroin addiction, cigarette dependence, and compulsive dieting.
- Aronofsky and producer Eric Watson acquired the film rights to Hubert Selby Jr.'s novel for $1,000, a sum that was significant given Aronofsky's financial struggles following his previous film Pi.
- Ellen Burstyn initially turned down the role of Sara Goldfarb because of its depressing subject matter, but changed her mind after watching Aronofsky's earlier work.
- Jared Leto lost 28 pounds by starving himself for months to authentically portray his heroin-addicted character, and Aronofsky requested that both Leto and Marlon Wayans avoid sex and sugar during production so their cravings would feel genuine on camera.
- Marlon Wayans read the novel three times and auditioned five times for the role of Tyrone before finally being cast.
- Jennifer Connelly prepared for her role by renting an apartment in the building where her character lived, isolating herself, painting, listening to music her character would enjoy, and attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings with a recovering friend.
- Filming took place over 40 days in and around Coney Island, Brooklyn, from April to June 1999, with real drug addicts hired as extras in a grocery store scene, some of whom were injecting drugs during filming.
- Ellen Burstyn wore two fat suits—one adding 40 pounds and another adding 20 pounds—and had nine wigs and four prosthetic necks created for her character's transformation, with some prosthetic pieces requiring up to four hours to apply.
- A bathtub scene in Requiem for a Dream was inspired by Satoshi Kon's 1997 anime film Perfect Blue.
- The film's post-production included approximately 150 special effects created by Amoeba Proteus, a digital effects company formed by Aronofsky and his friends.
Adapted from the Wikipedia article Requiem for a Dream, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.
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