Many critics have dismissed the year 2000 as the worst year in cinema since the advent of talkies. Though this is certainly an exaggeration--the new century has been marked by way too many films that followed tired formulas and played it too safe. Enter Requiem For A Dream. It's not my favorite, but Darren Aronofsky has fashioned what I feel is far and away the best film I've seen this year. If you see it, you'll understand what I mean. Requiem For a Dream is an unflinching, bleak, and highly innovative look into the dark world of addiction. I'd have to say that it is the best anti-drug picture that I've ever seen. If your looking to prevent someone you know from dabbling in drug use, take them to see this movie.

Based on the novel by Hubert Selby Jr. (he also co-wrote the screenplay with Aronofsky) Requiem features Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, and Marlon Wayans as a circle of friends who will do anything to get their next fix of heroin. For Leto, this includes stealing from his loving mother in a tour de force by Ellen Burstyn. It also seems that Burstyn has problems of her own. Because of an eating disorder, she soon finds herself hooked on diet pills.

Aronofsky (who also made the brilliant Pi) isn't interested in a straight forward narrative. Requiem for a Dream unfolds in a blurry haze, as it's characters slowly get sucked into hell. It should also be noted that this isn't an uplifting film with sugar coating. This is a stark, unblinking look at an ugly lifestyle that is a reality for many people. There are no easy answers, and no swift resolutions. Just a situation that presents itself with shocking honesty.

Requiem for a Dream features a stellar cast but none of the performances are quite as bold as the one given by Burstyn. As a lonely woman who has great love for her child, Burstyn manages to bury herself so deep in this part, that you will forget its her. This is a very unglamorous and sympathetic role, and Burstyn nails it with every bit of power she can muster. As a result, I really feel this is the performance that she will be remembered for (even surpassing her brilliant work in The Exorcist).

I wouldn't call Requiem for a Dream a source of entertainment. It may not be the type of film that you will want to see time and time again, but that's what makes this film experience so incredible. I've seen thousands upon thousands of films throughout my life, and very few have offered moments that made me flinch and turn my head from the screen. Requiem for a Dream is such a picture. In this film there is no light at the end of the tunnel and audience members will surely walk out of the theater feeling sick to their stomach. It gets to a point where Requiem is one unsettling shock after another. Never, however, does it feature a shock that is merely there to disgust the audience. Everything that happens in this movie happens for a reason, and that's what sets Aronofsky apart from film-makers like Todd Solendz (Welcome to the Dollhouse) and P.T. Anderson (Magnolia). He creates moments that move the story along. You never question it, you just except it for what it is, warts and all.

Requiem for Dream isn't a movie about heroin--it's a film about addiction in general. Drugs, television, food etc. It also could be considered a horror film in the purist sense of the word. It certainly scared the hell out of me. With Requiem for a Dream, Darren Aronofsky has created the most daring, and effective movie of the year. A masterpiece that will no doubt put him into the big time.