Development The novel
Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr. was published in 1978. Aronofsky had been a fan of Selby's work during his school years. Eric Watson, producer and co-writer of
Pi (1998), convinced Aronofsky to adapt the novel into a film. Selby was open to the idea and granted permission. Aronofsky and Watson optioned the film rights for $1,000, which was considered a large sum for them at the time. A screenplay had been written by Selby years prior, which was 80% similar to Aronofsky's. The pair compared their works, but Aronofsky wanted to cast younger characters to enhance the impact of drugs. However, the producers were against hiring a younger cast as they felt the film would be too unsettling for audiences; the director reluctantly agreed.
Casting A number of actresses were considered for the role of Sara Goldfarb, but many of them, such as
Faye Dunaway, rejected the part. Ellen Burstyn also initially rejected the part due to the depressing content, but her manager convinced her to see Aronofsky's previous work; she was impressed and agreed to be cast in the lead role.
Giovanni Ribisi,
Neve Campbell and
Dave Chappelle were considered for the roles of Harry Goldfarb, Marion Silver and Tyrone C. Love, respectively. All three declined. Marlon Wayans read the novel three times and auditioned five times for the role of Tyrone before he was offered the part, eager to work with the director. In preparation for filming, Leto spent time living on the streets of New York, surrounded by people who were in the same situation as his character. He also starved himself for months, losing to play his heroin-addicted character realistically. Aronofsky requested that Leto and Wayans refrain from having sex and consuming sugar so that their cravings would appear genuine on-screen. Connelly prepared for the role by renting an apartment in the building where the character lived. Connelly isolated herself, painted, listened to music that she thought Marion would, designed clothes, and used the time to reflect about addictions and their origin. She also talked to addicts and attended
Narcotics Anonymous meetings with a recovering friend.
Filming Filming lasted 40 days from 19 April to 16 June 1999, on location in and around
Coney Island, including the boardwalk, amusement parks and Brighton Beach. To capture Sara Goldfarb's weight loss throughout the film, Burstyn wore two fat suits; one simulated an additional in weight and one . Burstyn also dieted during a two-week break in the filming schedule, allowing her to lose . Connelly's wardrobe consisted of pieces that she had made during her time preparing for the role.
Post-production also included approximately 150 special effects, created by
Amoeba Proteus, a digital effects company formed by Aronofsky and his friends. Connelly also spoke of how "it was hard, really hard to go through, emotionally. It was draining, sad, and uncomfortable". but are also employed in traditional cinema, such as
Man with a Movie Camera. While an average 100-minute film has 600 to 700 cuts,
Requiem for a Dream features more than 2,000.
Split-screen is used extensively, along with extremely tight
close-ups. Long
tracking shots, including shots where the camera is strapped to an actor and facing them, known as
Snorricam, and
time-lapse photography are also prominent stylistic devices. Aronofsky alternates between extreme close-ups and extreme distance from the action, with sharp cuts between reality and characters' fantasies. The average length of scenes also shortens as the film progresses, from around 90 seconds to 2 minutes in the beginning, until the
climactic scenes, which are
cut very rapidly accompanied by
incidental music. After the climax, there is a short period of silence and serenity.
Pixelation and a
fisheye lens are also techniques used to help reinforce the effect of drugs and the viewer's distance from the character. The soundtrack was re-released with the album
Requiem for a Dream: Remixed, which contains
remixes of the music by various artists including
Paul Oakenfold,
Josh Wink,
Jagz Kooner, and
Delerium. The track "
Lux Aeterna" is an orchestral composition by Mansell, the
leitmotif of
Requiem for a Dream, and the
penultimate piece in the film's soundtrack. The popularity of this piece led to its use in
popular culture outside the film, in
film and
teaser trailers, and with multiple remixes and remakes by other producers. ==Reception==