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Reviews
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Requiem=Pi squared?
One of the reasons I enjoyed Requiem for a Dream was that in many aspects (especially the visual) it was very much like Pi, only amped up a notch. As specific examples: the quick montages of Susan taking one extra pill every time mirror those of Max in Pi doing the same. Also, Aronofsky has taken out his trusty camera that straps to the actor and points at their face. Again, he uses this in both films in moderation and to great effect. Finally, I found that in both films, at the climax, there was a rush of confusion and emotion. In this case, as I was watching the small scene where Harry's arm is being cut into, I was immediately reminded of the drill scene in Pi. So, I would say that throughout this film I got the sense that Pi was simply practice for Aronofsky, and his final goal was Requiem: there is only one character in Pi,as opposed to four; Pi is black and white, while Requiem plays with color to set the mood throughout; etc. This is Aronofsky at his finest, and I believe he may have set the standard for drug-related drama.
Zelary (2003)
The strength of the movie lies in its protagonist
I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I thought it was not only well-written but quite visually interesting. I found the character of Hana particularly endearing. In fact, I wrote about her in an essay I'm doing on the idea of 'home' in literature and some film: Zelary was mentioned before as having thematic elements involving a physical home. However, this film takes a slightly different approach to the aspects of home. Whereas one normally would define home for his or herself, then make some sort of journey to find it; Hana is forced to do things oppositely in Zelary. Because turmoil physically forces her out of the place she had come to call home, she must redefine home for herself in order to make her current setting her new home. She succeeds in this through accepting the rural lifestyle and falling in love with her new husband, and she even manages to go back to her old home once again. This reversal of the task of defining home is what creates the central conflict in the film, and Hana's flexibility in making home a solid place is what makes her a strong protagonist.