Requiem for a Dream

Afton Cappello and Philip Clarke

Drama

Movie

 

Adults Only

 

Profanity, Violence, Graphic Drug Use

 

Crime, Relationships, Substance abuse-alcohol, Substance abuse-drugs

Requiem for a Dream is set in Coney Island, NY and follows the lives of four people each entangled in their own world of addiction. The cast includes Harry, a young adult addicted to heroin and cocaine, his mother who is obsessed with TV and addicted to diet pills, Harry’s girlfriend Marion, and his best friend Tyrone who are also both addicted to cocaine. Harry and Tyrone are both eventually arrested and put in jail. Marion is back in New York and begins to withdrawal. Meanwhile, Harry’s mother begins to fall apart physically and mentally from the diet pills she is taking. She eventually ends up committed to a psychiatric hospital. Each character ends up alone and distraught which paints a picture of the detrimental outcomes of addiction. This movie can be used to help counselors understand the multiple life shattering effects of addiction. Harry and Marion are portrayed as a couple who are in love with one another. Their love is eventually destroyed when Harry allows Marion to perform sexual acts in order to obtain drugs.

 

This part of the movie would be a good resource to educate counselors working with couples who both are struggling with addiction. Counselors can learn from the story of the mother regarding how to help clients gain insight on the dangers of diet pill addiction and the negative consequences it can have on your body and mind. The movie as a whole teaches counselors about the harmful physical, emotional and relational effects of addiction.