Requiem for a Dream (film)

Requiem for a Dream is a 2000 American psychological drama directed by Darren Aronofsky, who wrote the screenplay with Hubert Selby Jr., author of the 1978 novel on which it is based. Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher McDonald and Marlon Wayans star as four people whose addictions steadily imprison them in delusion and desperation, and the film is understood by its makers as being about addiction in general rather than only drugs, with loneliness and avoidance of reality as recurring themes. Aronofsky and producer Eric Watson optioned the novel, and Selby, who had written a script of his own years earlier, developed the final screenplay with Aronofsky despite long struggles to raise funding. Principal photography took place in Brooklyn, New York, from April to June 1999, with music by Clint Mansell and editing by Jay Rabinowitz. The film premiered out of competition at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival and was released in United States theatres on October 6, 2000, by Artisan Entertainment, grossing about 7 million dollars on a 4 million dollar budget. Burstyn received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for Best Actress.