Content warning: this article contains depictions of violence, sexual abuse, and drug abuse.
Different from what the movie title suggests, the final moments of Requiem for a Dream are pure nightmare fuel. Regarded as one of the most disturbing movies ever made, Darren Aronofsky's sophomore feature introduced most of the director's distinguishable trademarks, especially the overarching character development and the descent into chaos and violence as the only possible path. Aronofsky is a director of extremes, and Requiem for a Dream is a one-way journey into alienation and addiction, introducing an array of characters who end their arcs exactly where they started, only their mind become as rotten as their bodies.
The narrative of Requiem for a Dream fluctuates between four storylines intertwined by love and anger, which causes the four main characters to cross paths and part ways constantly, leading up to an uncomfortably bleak ending. Two of the characters, Harry and Tyrone (Jared Leto and Marlon Wayans), are heroin addicts whose main goal is to get enough money to launch a prosperous business. Harry's girlfriend, Marion (Jennifer Connelly), also an addict, dreams of becoming a successful fashion designer, and Sara (Ellen Burstyn), Harry's mother, wastes her life away in front of the TV, waiting for a host show invitation that will never come.
What Happens In Requiem For A Dream’s Ending
Through a chaotic succession of events, all of Requiem for a Dream's storylines climax simultaneously, with editing masterfully crafted to disorient viewers. It all starts when Harry and Tyrone set their minds on shifting from being drug users to drug dealers. After a series of setbacks and plenty of time lost, the two decide to set out to Miami and buy heroin directly from the provider, but they never make it to their destination, for Harry's arm rapidly becomes gangrenous due to his drug addiction. At a hospital, the doctor is disgusted by Harry's situation and calls the police on them, resulting in a hopeless arrest.
Struggling with money and suffering from withdrawal symptoms, Marion is forced to resort to her worst and final option, making a deal with an abusive pimp called Big Tim. Coerced by him, Marion accepts to work in a "little gathering" and ends up in a crowded room, where she performs alongside another young woman and is sexually assaulted by several men. This experience breaks Marion completely, who returns home lifeless, finding comfort in the little heroin she has while her clothing designs lie around in disuse.
Sara's fate is just as heartbreaking, and her descent into darkness begins with a simple scam call, which promises her an invitation to her favorite host game show. This leads to a succession of reckless mistakes and highlights Ellen Burstyn's performance in Requiem for a Dream: Sara wants to look pretty on the show and resorts to desperate measures to fit in her graduation dress, causing her to become addicted to appetite suppressants and unable to tell reality from her hallucinations. In the end, she's left totally abandoned in a mental facility, immersed in fake memories, and mistreated by everyone around her.
Why Harry & Marion Parted Ways
Harry and Marion's relationship becomes increasingly toxic as Requiem for a Dream progresses, but it's difficult to see all the signs. When Harry and Tyrone's business plans begin to go wrong, the couple appears constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The situation gets worse as their withdrawn reactions increase, and when Harry encourages Marion to engage in unwanted sex work, viewers can see in Jennifer Connelly's eyes in the movie how that seals their fate for good. After the Big Tim situation, Marion realizes her drug addiction isn't the only thing that led her to where she is now: her relationship with Harry played a big part, too.
What Happened To Harry’s Arm
Requiem for a Dream gradually shatters each of its characters' bodies and souls. Heroin is a specifically delicate drug because it requires proper care and hygiene from the user given the drug is shot into the vein through needles, which Harry recklessly ignores. Perhaps because he's too afraid to contemplate his own fate, or he keeps trying to convince himself things are going to get better, he denies the terrifying aspect of his arm and even injects the drug right where the bruise is. In the movie's wild final 10 minutes, the bruise evolves into gangrene, leaving doctors with no other alternative but to amputate Harry's arm.
The Meaning Of The Dream At The End Of The Pier
Throughout Requiem for a Dream, Harry is haunted by a recurring dream in which he stands on a pier and sees Marion at the end of it, but whenever he comes too close to her, she disappears, and he's surrounded by a harrowing darkness. "Requiem" can mean a mass to appease the death as well as an act of remembrance, and both meanings apply to the movie's message. The ending of Requiem for a Dream follows each of the characters mourning their dreams as they fade into darkness.
Fragments of these dreams keep coming back in small tokens of illusions, constantly reminding them of the darkness that overwhelms the beauty at the end of the pier. For Jared Leto's Harry, the token can be seen whenever he looks at his missing arm. Marion will always be surrounded by sketches that will forever remain just drafts. At the peak of the withdrawal symptoms of his drug use, Tyrone sees his mother's face everywhere. Sara, on the other hand, embraces the pier entirely. She finds comfort in her static illusions: the illusion overcomes her life, only she's too blind to see the darkness already took over.
What’s Real & What’s Not In Sara’s Storyline
Sara's storyline is the most upsetting because loneliness creeps into every frame she's in. Even surrounded by people she feels alone. Sara rejects her routine, the people around her, and especially her aging. She intends to become young again, no matter the cost, blindly embracing the dull relief of escaping into memories long-lost. Sara's drug, her obsession in Requiem for a Dream, is alienation; as soon as she finds the courage of becoming a nobody, she gives in entirely. As her life falls into a hopeless routine, Sara finds comfort in the fantasies she sees on TV, which bring the fantasies of her mind to life.
Everything is fake: the call she receives from her favorite TV show is a scam, the drugs she takes are ineffective, her dress is a beauty she'll never have back, and her son's future is a blank canvas. Leaving her apartment and going to the casting agency office breaks the perpetual chain between Sara and her world, the living room. But as she's admitted to a psychiatric ward, her living room and her fantasies slowly make their way to her. The worst thing about her fate is realizing this sad reality isn't that different from the alienated life she led before.
The True Meaning Of Requiem For A Dream’s Ending
Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream is often wrongfully regarded as a movie simply about drug addiction. It also introduces an unconventional love story and delivers an upsetting message about how dreams can just as well blind and alienate. The various scenes featuring Marion looking at herself in the mirror symbolize her need to remind herself that she’s still there and hasn't lost herself entirely yet. These scenes usually take place before she's about to do something against her will. At the end of the day, finding solace in illusions and dreams is just a slower process of self-destruction, a darkness that eventually catches up no matter what.