Addiction has its consequences. Numerous tests and experiments have been done on this subject, which are then presented to the public. And the overwhelming majority of these tests show that addiction has a startlingly negative impact on the health of a person as well as their relationships with others. The film Requiem For a Dream, directed by Darren Aronofsky, perfectly illustrates this downward spiral that drug abuse creates, with the main focus being on the usage of heroin among three friends. As the film progresses, the audience is shown the deterioration of these friends’ lives as their dependency upon the drug worsens, and in the end demonstrates the various effects this dependency has on them.
In the beginning of the film, we are introduced to Harry and Marion, a young couple who seem to be extremely passionate about each other, as well as heroin. Their drug abuse doesn’t seem to have a large impact on their lives as of yet. They are able to be intimate, and their relationship appears to be very stable. It is clear that they are in love. Harry also has a good friend Tyrone, who enjoys a quick fix himself. The three of them have a “good” time with one another, of course with the addition of drugs. Most of the time they use heroin through inhalation, but Harry also has a tendency to abuse the drug through the use of needles from time to time. They are all fairly young, having recently graduated from high school. This scenario is not unlike most heroin users. In a study of the trajectories of heroin addiction, on average, participants started marijuana use at age 15 and started heroin use at age 18” (Hser, Huang, Chou, & Anglin, 2007, p. 555).
While on the surface things appear to be going well for the group of friends, they begin to turn to unlawful ways to make money. Harry steals his mother’s TV while she hides in her bedroom, and he and Tyrone pawn it off to an older man. They have realized that they are able to receive money without a...