Ow, I'm not saying we should have a lighthearted musical about all the joys of drug-use, which ends with a happy nding. I really don't care if characters die at the end either. The whole build-up during the movie was just so extremely OTT and self-aware of it's own message, that I just found the whole thing grating to watch.Markgway wrote:Never heard of The Corner. It's not like I'm seeking out movies about Heroin addiction... lol. It's just that Requiem was on TV and I figured I'd see what the fuss was about. I didn't 'like it' (not sure Requiem is the kind of film anyone could or indeed should 'like') but I can't argue with the intent of its message - even if the sledgehammer approach grinds the viewer down. Perhaps having two seperate addiction stories (there's the mother on the uppers) was overkill. I'd rather that heavy-handedness however than the 'honest' ambiguity of Trainspotting which unfortunately served to glamourise as much as demonise Heroin (when I was 18 we had a college class discussion that was as depressing as it was revealling in the attitudes of young people toward Heroin based on that film). I guess more often than not you take from a film what you bring to it.Shingster wrote:I agree with Yi, it's over-stylised bollocks and about as intelligent and subtle as a sledgehammer. For a far superior depiction of heroin addiction you should watch The Corner (which manages to be grim without the gimmicks, just good old-fashioned character drama).
I would argue that it's dangerous for filmmakers to show any positive aspects of drug use because you know that that's what inclined people will take from the experience. An affirmation. "See the characters look cool... they survived... so will I". You can't stop people from taking drugs but you can avoid glamourising it. I've met some 'normal' people who've smoked weed but never a happy, healthy Heroin addict. You see them shuffling around my area all the fucking time with their pasty, sweaty faces, dead eyes, and nervous energy. I hate it.Yi-Long wrote:And yeah, you see a fucked up arm in a movie and it scares you. Then you go outside into the real world and meet dozens of people who used drugs either on a regular basis or recreationally, and you start thinking for yourself. You might even go online and look at statistics how many 'junkies' actually end up armless,or with a dildo up their ass.
In fact, if there is one movie in the world which could possibly prompt me to shoot up, it's probably Requim for a Dream, as that's the only way I'd be able to sit through it again, and maybe even 'enjoy' it...
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