Requiem for a Dream - Opinions on the Movie?

I remember watching it back when I was 15. Undoubtedly, one of the most depressing movies I've ever seen.

It's certainly put me off from ever doing any of the harder drugs, and it obviously carries a very anti-drug message.

However, after watching the ending for a second time.. 8 years later.. It's become clearer than ever that the legal and social side-effects of the War on Drugs had a greater damaging effect in their lives, not necessarily the effects of the drugs alone.



You don't see people sucking dick over alcohol.. because alcohol is cheap, legal and commercially available.

People used to go blind while drinking alcohol, just how some people lose their arms while injecting sedatives using unsanitized needles.. but again, this is all exacerbated by prohibition. Needle exchange and other drug-related harm reduction programs have proven to be a success in developed European countries.

And then there is jail, which is a no brainer. You don't go to jail if the drug you are doing is legal. This shouldn't even be an anti-drug argument.. it's as if I told you that sugar will kill you because, if you put too much sugar in your coffee, I will grab a gun and shoot you.

Finally, there's also the horrendous medical treatment that Sara was receiving, and her quality of life. Would her life had magically improved if you had simply taken the drugs out of the equation? Think about it: she was socially isolated, her husband died, nobody was visiting her, etc. That's almost guaranteed to not end very well.