10 Great Films About Addiction

To say that Requiem for a Dream is a bleak film would be a serious understatement. Darron Aronofsky's adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr's novel, the incredibly gritty and soul-destroying drama tells the story of four drug addicts and how drastically their addictions ruin their lives.

Harry (Jared Leto), Marion (Jennifer Connelly) and Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) sell and use heroin as a way of escaping their everyday lives, whilst Harry's mother Sara (Ellen Burstyn) becomes hooked on amphetamines whilst trying to lose weight.

Requiem for a Dream is easily the most harrowing film on this list, a relentless, emotionally draining but nonetheless thrilling dive into the mental and physical horrors of drug addiction and desperation.

For some, the subject and the way it's portrayed will be far too hard to stomach, but between the career-best performances of the four leads and Aronofsky's daring, grimy direction, it simply begs to be seen.