Requiem For A Dream

5 Pages 1283 Words

Everyone knows about the dangers of drug abuse, but once you’ve seen the movie Requiem for a Dream, you will definitely think again before doing drugs. The main theme in Requiem for a Dream is the search for happiness and how it often times leads to addiction. We watch the lives of the three main characters become undone by their various addictions, and the film shows how their lives are a free-fall into their own separate hells. All of the things that were once important in their lives are not, and they live their lives depending on the drugs that have taken over them. This film depicts addiction perfectly, showing how all of their energy and efforts are directed to getting the next “hit” regardless of the personal cost.
From the first scene of the film we see Sara, one of the main characters, and learn that her life revolves around watching television and eating chocolates. While this is not a serious addiction, it still shows the temporary relief from her outside life. Sara’s life has a new focus once she gets a phone call from her favorite television program telling her that she has been chosen to be on the show. Suddenly Sara’s only goal in life is to fit into her favorite red dress so she can look great for her “shining moment” in the public eye. After Sara tries a grapefruit and coffee diet, she decided to take the advice of a friend and get prescribed diet pills to take all of her food cravings away. She looses a lot of weight in a short period of time which makes Sara happy and energized. One day when her son Harry visits, he realizes what his mother is taking. She has started to grind her teeth and has begun to run around frantically as a result of the pills she is taking. At this point in the film we start to realize that Sara is becoming addicted to the diet pills. As Harry is talking to his mom she explains the way that she feels and how the pills make her happy. “It’s a reason to get up i...