Requiem for a Dream

The fact the film is disturbing and powerful should not warrant kudos. Certain subjects will bring out those feelings. The film is amateur hour and mostly nonsense. There is little detail to the character's lives. Each person is introduced and the film speeds to their problems. The depth of the storytelling is in how much the camera set ups and tricks shots dominate. The purpose is to create a drug state, but the film is so repititious with a few set ups and tricks that there is little imagination to the filmmaking. Instead it becomes nauseating and numbing. All the characters have different addictions and problems, but the state of their reality seems to come with the same look and feel. Arnofsky would develop with The Fountain, but the big budget here doesn't hide the fact this film feels like Pi did as a starter film.