I have a quick story. It doubles as a cautionary parable, though, so stick with it:
When I was 18 and away at college for the first time, I was thrilled to finally be outside my parents’ reach. So, as many incoming college freshmen do, I went out of control. I pierced my ears! I ate ice cream for breakfast sometimes. And sometimes—don’t tell my mom!—I played Atari before I did my homework.
That same autumn, Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream came to theaters. I was so excited! I couldn’t wait to see my first NC-17 movie! So five or six of us freshmen met up, boarded the train together, and headed into the big city to buy our tickets. I remember the train ride into Chicago: everyone was laughing, jostling one another, slapping high fives. We were all so full of hope back then.
Then we watched the movie.
On the train ride home, we were silent. We couldn’t bring ourselves to speak; we couldn’t even look at one another. We were scared witless. I am pretty sure we also sat as far from one another as possible.
I never saw any of those students ever again. We all literally never spoke again.
In the years since, I have always advised friends who are thinking of watching Requiem for the first time to just, uh, try not to watch it with someone they think they might like. Take it from me: it is far too easy to project the trauma of watching that movie onto whoever was sitting next to you at the time.
Well! OK! I think you’re all set to watch some anti-drug PSAs directed by Darren Aronofsky now! (After the jump! Whee!)
Are you sure about this? Seriously? OK.
Aronofsky directed four 30-second spots in all, but in the interest of your time, let’s go right to the grisliest one.
But remember: try not to watch it with a friend! It might cast a dark cloud over your lunch date later.
Now, I personally felt, the first time I watched it, like the camera held too steadily on the scene’s action, y’know, maybe a little overlong—I’m sorry, am I even allowed to deconstruct a drug PSA?—and, although I was duly horrified as gravity set in, by its very end I was going Okaaaaaaaaaay, I got it.
Then, the second time I watched it (what is wrong with me), I think I was much more horrified.
So! I will definitely scratch off “harrowing meth addiction” from today’s to-do list. Maybe I’ll start jogging or something, too.
(Screenshot via Pop2it.)
Requiem for a Dream is an amazing movie. I can totally understand about being slient on your way home after watching the movie. Great post!
I had a similar experience back in the ’90s with a film called Kids. Chloe Sevigny was in it, and nobody else that I care to remember. It was just…brutal. Four of us went to the theatre, all happy and looking forward to watching a movie about disenfranchised youth – cute skater boys in baggy pants, yay! – prowling the streets of NYC. Oh, sure, that’s *pretty much* what the movie was about…you know, that, plus the graphic depictions of aggravated assault, drug use and a 15 minute long rape scene in extreme closeup. Mid-way through the flick I turned around to see that of the 50 or so other people who had started the movie with us, we were the only ones left in the theatre. It was a QUIET ride home. We remained buddies, but there was certainly no post-mortem on THAT particular movie.
Great post, indeed.
Living in countless cities, many of which are/were depressed and riddled with addictive persons, and knowing intimately many who are addicts, I could not ever watch Requiem.
I recently made the decision to watch The Fighter (it took months to make this decision), but I went ahead and watched it because it was directed by David O Russell and NOT Aronofsky (as was at some point intended); Aronofsky seems to be too good at depicting the terror/horror of addiction. I cannot deal with that stuff.
I do think Pi was awesome though. Moreover, on a completely unrelated note: the visual of the female neighbor and soft moans that intermittently came from her apartment was some of the sexiest sex/non-sex sequences in a film, which I have ever viewed. I am not a big fan of the blatant sex that many films sell; it is tasteless usually.
Reminiscent of the Montana Meth Ads that are fucking terrifying…good show. What a disgusting drug.
Yep,he’s already done a few back in 2007 for Montana meth project. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montana_Meth_Project#2007:_Directed_by_Darren_Aronofsky They’re all on youtube,f%$#ing amazing. Those that weren’t done by him as well