Requiem for a Dream is a film with a fairly standard plotline, however it presents it in a way that is anything but standard. By presenting several simultaneous plots at once, and by breaking many of the conventions of continuity editing, Aronofsky forces us to look at the subject matter presented in the film from a new perspective, and in doing so forces us to challenge the view commonly held by society that drug addicts are bad people without morals or value.
Aronofsky uses a very interesting film technique in order to draw viewers into the world of the drug addicts. This technique, which Aronofsky himself pioneered with his film Pi, is called a “hip-hop montage.” Hip-hop montages consist of incredibly short shots cut together and matched with a mixture of diegetic and non diegetic sounds. In Requiem for a Dream, Aronofsky uses the technique of a hip hop montage in order to create a frenetic and dangerous feel to the movie, drawing the viewers into the shady underground world of the drug addicts that the movie follows. By mixing different types of shots, as well as by using a soundtrack that utilizes both sounds from the environment of the movie as well as sounds that are entirely non-diegetic, the audience has a sense of confusion and danger forced upon them. It seems that with this, Aronofsky is trying to show the audience that the characters themselves, by making a simple choice (similar to the choice the audience has made to watch this film) have had the same sense of confusion and danger thrust upon them. This removes the sense of responsibility that society often imposes upon drug addicts, instead forcing the audience to sympathize with them, and realize that they are more victims than perpetrators.
Another important thing to look at when considering Aronofsky's intent to portray the drug-addicted characters in a more positive light is to look at the term “Hip-hop montage” itself. This term was coined by Aronofsky himself, and by using the term “hip-hop,” he purposefully invokes many images and ideas in the collective conscience of American moviegoers. For instance, most people when they hear the term “hip-hop” instantly think of music produced in gritty, urban conditions. Most people associate hip hop with the urban ghetto, which is often a dangerous and unsafe environment. One usually does not imagine the production of art in conditions like this, however hip-hop has become a huge cultural phenomenon. By associating his form of montage with hip-hop music, Aronofsky seems to be speaking to the possibility that beauty (in the form of artistic expression) can still be born of unfortunate circumstances. The characters in Requiem for a Dream are certainly faced with incredibly unfortunate circumstances in terms of their poverty and drug addiction, however their individual stories still posses all of the beauty of every other human life.
The montage technique that Aronofsky employs relates to hip hop in another way as well: its sense of rhythm. Rather than cutting for action or emotion in these hectic and confused sequences, all of the cuts between shots seem to be made for rhythmic purposes. The collection of shots follows a well-defined “beat,” which allows the audience to still be immersed in the film, even though it doesn't conform to the standard ideas of continuity editing in order to create a seamless world in which events are taking place. The soundtrack during these montages works to the same effect, with each individual sound effect being repeated on cue, becoming almost musical as the montage goes on.
It is with the evocation of the idea of “hip-hop” that Requiem borrows heavily from a film genre that might not seem obvious at first: the noir. In his “Notes on Film Noir,” Paul Schrader discusses how in noir films the environment in which the dramatic action of the film is often given as much weight in the story as the characters themselves. In his article, Schrader states that this is usually accomplished via lighting techniques that highlight both the background and the actor in front of it. While the lighting in Requiem for a Dream doesn't necessarily accomplish this, the montage technique that Aronofsky employs certainly does. In the hip-hop montages in the film, the sounds often relate to the environment itself, and serve to make the gritty underworld through which the characters move almost seem alive. This is another important aspect of Aronofsky's attempt to remove the guilt from the main characters, as it places much of the blame for their misfortune and downward-spiraling struggles with addiction on their environment rather than on the characters themselves. In the film, it seems that the end that each character meets (none of which are particularly pleasant) is an inescapable consequence of the environment in which they live, rather than the direct consequence of any of their individual actions.
In order to illustrate the way that Aronofsky employs the hip-hop montage, and to show the effects that it has upon an audience, I have chosen a small section of one of the many hip hop montages that occur throughout the film. The clip (30:50 to 30:57 screen time) is part of a longer hip-hop montage, depicting the main characters cutting and selling heroin on the streets in order to make money, as well as purchasing store space for one of the characters (an aspiring designer.) This section is interesting both visually and aurally, but also illustrates one of David Bordwell's main points about classical Hollywood cinema: the presence of parallel plot lines. While Requiem for a Dream by no means conforms to all of the standards set forth by Bordwell, it does at least possess one of the narrative guidelines that he put forth. It is however, interesting to note that even the stranger films produced in our times can possess what are considered to be the the defining elements of “classical Hollywood cinema.”
The first shot of this montage is of the three main characters, Harry, Marion, and Ty, cutting up the heroin they've purchased in order to sell it on the streets for a profit. The camera is placed above the table, looking directly down at it, and the shot is framed so that all we can see of the characters are their arms as they go about the business of cutting up the heroin. All of the action is seen in fast motion, causing the hands of the characters to become a blur. Like most of the shots involving drug use in Requiem for a Dream, this first shot draws the focus to the drug itself, with the characters being pushed out to the periphery, and even then showing nothing that really serves to identify them. Buy doing this, Aronofsky seems to be emphasizing the loss of identity that inevitably comes with drug addiction. The three characters in the film all eventually lose a part of themselves to their addiction (all of the characters suffer the loss of their hopes and ambitions. Harry also literally loses a part of himself as his arm is amputated due to an infected injection site.) The framing also serves to give a hint at the mindset of an addict by drawing focus first and foremost to the drug itself, rather than the people physically handling it. Further drawing viewer focus to the drug is the fact that it is an intensely white powder set against a dull table top. The heroin therefore stands out far more than anything else in this shot. The sound in this shot is similar to that of bees buzzing, which further heightens the sense of urgency hinted at by the fast motion.
Shot two is of Harry, one of the main characters, standing near a closed-up boardwalk stand, looking for clients to purchase his heroin. The shot is a medium shot, pulled back so that all of Harry's body fits in the frame. Harry is wearing a nondescript gray jumpsuit, a small detail that furthers the idea of his loss of identity, as his clothes possess no evidence of individual taste or expression. The sound in this shot is diegetic, as it is the sound of the buzzing fluorescent lights lining the boardwalk. The sound is similar to that of the buzzing bees in shot one, and gives an angry, dangerous sense to the environment itself. This shot is shorter than the last, and for most of it Harry's face is turned away from the camera, which has the effect of making him seem less like a true character and more like just another sketchy drug dealer. This shot is filmed in regular motion, which causes it to stand out from the previous shot of the three main characters cutting up the heroin. The main effect of this shot is to draw the viewer into the seedy world of the drug market, with the background of the boarded-up boutique being the most notable feature onscreen.
Shot three is a closeup of a packet of heroin being handed off from the dealer to the customer. This shot, like the one before it, occurs in real-time, as opposed to the first shot of this sequence. The shot is accompanied by the sound of a record scratch, a sound that becomes important to the establishment of rhythm in the full version of this montage, as it is repeated many times. The shot is an extreme close-up, and is framed so that only the hands of the two people are visible against the dark background. The lighting is bleak and inexpressive, seeming to only serve the purpose of making the hands of the two people involved visible. Like in the first shot, by not showing anything but a small portion of the characters onscreen, Aronofsky emphasizes the shadiness and anonymity of the world of drug addicts.
Shot four shows the hand of the drug dealer as he pockets the money given to him by his customer. The cut to this shot is extremely abrupt and jarring, as well as the clip itself. This whole series in fact is incredibly abrupt, lending it that furious and frenetic feel. This shot is accompanied by the sound of a cash register, another sound that is repeated often and important to the establishment of the sense of rhythm and music that accompanies this and the other hip-hop montages in the film. It is here that this style of montage's relation to the cultural idea of “hip-hop” becomes evident, as it drives home the sense of rhythm and pacing as well as its ties to gritty urban life. This shot is very similar to the previous shot in both length and framing, as it's incredibly brief and shows only the hand of the drug dealer. Like the previous shot, its main purpose seems to be to drive home the gritty, dirty feeling of the drug market.
The cut to shot five is also very rapid, and it is to a close up of a hem being sewn on a sewing machine. The difference to the previous shot is incredibly jarring, as this shot exhibits few of the elements of the previous four. It is not darkly lit, it is not accompanied by any non-diegetic sounds, and by itself this shot is not particularly menacing, dangerous, or frenetic. The transition to this shot relies on the overall sense of rhythm and pacing in order to work, as it breaks all traditions of continuity editing. The sound in this shot is, unlike that of the previous two shots, diegetic, as the sound of the sewing machine itself is very prominent. This shot is an interesting break from the previous two. It still upholds the same tight framing of the last two, but doesn't retain the same gritty feel. It also depicts an entirely non-self-destructive act, another thing that sets it apart from the other shots in this montage. It is in this shot that we see Bordwell's idea of parallel narratives coming into play. Up to this point in the montage we've been seeing the realization of Harry and Tyler's goal, which is to earn enough money by selling heroin on the streets to buy a pound of pure cocaine. This shot however, shows us the advancement of Marion's goal, which is to eventually become a famous fashion designer. Even though these two goals are separate things, this shot serves to link them, by showing the means by which Marion's quest to become a designer is being funded.
Shot six jumps right back into the gritty underground of the back alley drug market. Again, like all of the other shots in this sequence, it is a very tightly framed extreme close up, showing only two hands. One of the hands is Tyler's, while the other belongs to the person to whom he is selling the heroin. The sound here is a voice-over of Tyler saying “Naturally,” though it is unclear whether it is meant to be diegetic or not. It is possible that this audio clip comes from earlier in the film, when Tyler says the same thing to Harry when they first get the heroin in order to sell. Harry warns Tyler that they shouldn't start using themselves, or all of their plans will fail. This is of course foreshadowing the fact that all of the main characters do in fact start using their drugs, and that all of their plans and dreams do in fact fail, The voice over provides a strange contrast to the image onscreen, as Tyler's voice sounds warm and friendly, two things not normally associated with underground drug deals. The goal in this shot is the same as in the others in this montage, which is to provide a dirty, dark feeling to the audience.
Shot seven is one of the more interesting in the montage, showing an extreme close up of two people kissing. The people are assumed to be Marion and Harry, and it is here that we are given a glimpse at another of the movie's parallel story lines, which is that of Marion and Harry's relationship. The lighting of this shot is very similar to the shots in this montage, in that it seems to be dictated solely by the necessity to show the action onstage. It only highlights the faces of the two characters, and provides no hint as to what the background might be. The sound in this shot is entirely diegetic, but in the overall montage seems somehow out of place. It is still important to the establishment of rhythm and pacing, but it is a much more organic and natural sound than any of the others. This shot is framed in the same way as the others in this montage, showing nothing but Marion and Harry's lips, further driving home the idea of the loss of self. This shot stands out as it depicts something other than a shady drug deal (something that in fact seems remarkably wholesome for this movie) in the same way that it depicts the drug deals, which serves to foreshadow the fate of Marion and Harry's relationship.
Shot eight is a polaroid photo of the character Harry standing in newly rented store space, accompanied by the sound of a flashbulb going off. It is a medium shot, pulled back to show the entirety of both character's bodies. Unlike in any of the other shots in this montage, one of the character's faces is visible, which seems to imply that this activity is not as dark and dangerous as the others depicted, which is true. The lighting is uncharacteristically bright, illuminating the entire scene, making every inch of the store space bright and visible. This shot again takes a break from detailing the Harry and Tyler's attempt to earn money by selling heroin in order to show a development in Marion's quest to become a designer. Again, it seems to suggest a link between the selling of drugs and the financing of Marion's attempts to become a designer.
Shot nine, the last shot in the section I have chosen is a repetition of the first shot in the sequence, so formally it is no different. However, by showing this shot twice, Aronofsky hints at the circular nature of the process of trying to earn money by selling drugs, which becomes even more apparent later in the film when, after earning a large amount of money, the characters are eventually reduced back to having nothing after spending it all to fuel their own addictions. Showing this shot twice is also key in the development of rhythm, as one could now relate this entire sequence to a bar of music, one that is repeated many times throughout an entire song. With this repetition, the idea of “hip-hop” through a film montage becomes very salient.
By using the hip hop montage technique and compressing many shots into a small amount of time (nine shots in seven seconds), Aronofsky successfully conveys the frantic, hurried, dark, shady, and dangerous feel of the underground drug market to the audience. The furious pacing creates an uneasy sensation to those watching, while the strange mix of diegetic and non-diegetic sound creates an unstable and confused atmosphere. This sense of pace, and the further sense of danger and chaos it creates, is something not often seen in film, and pulls the audience inescapably into the world of the onscreen characters, seeming to link the audience's sense of well being as well as their emotions to those of the characters. By doing this, Aronofsky forces the audience to examine themselves in the context of the dramatic action before passing judgment on the characters.
By depicting what is otherwise a fairly standard Hollywood plot (a plot which even conforms slightly to the narrative guidelines set forth by Bordwell) in a manner than is anything less than standard, Aronofsky forces the audience to reconsider their opinions on the matter of drug addiction and the people that fall victim to it. By invoking the societal meme of “hip-hop” culture and everything associated with it, the film is firmly grounded in a dangerous, gritty, urban world, and in borrowing from the noir genre, Aronofsky successfully places most of the blame for the troubles that befall the characters on the environment in which they live. Even though on a basic level everything that happens to the characters is a result of the choices they make throughout the film, Aronofsky presents the film in a way that makes it seem as though the characters' “choices” weren't really choices at all, but rather an inevitability of the world in which they live.
Bordwell, David. "Classical Hollywood Cinema: Narrational Principles and Procedures."
Schrader, Paul. "Notes on Film Noir."
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