12 Great Movies That You'll Never Watch Again (And Why)
10. Requiem For A Dream (2000)
What It's About: Darren Aronofskys Requiem for a Dream follows a good looking young couple named Harry and Marion (Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly) as they pursue business ideas that they hope will bring them wealth and happiness. They are also heroin addicts, and when their friend suggests that they generate their start-up funds by getting into the drug trade around Coney Island they agree, a decision that will ultimately destroy them all.
Why It's Great: Aronofsky had already experimented with short-shot montages in his debut feature Pi, and in Requiem he pushed it up a level. While your average film normally contains between 600 and 700 cuts, the Black Swan director uses over 2000 here.
These, along with extensive use of split-screen and very tight close-ups, accentuate brilliant performances from Leto and Connelly, and indeed the supporting cast as well. Renowned web-critic James Berardinelli named this film the second best of its decade, second only to The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Why You'll Never Watch It Again: The undeniable genius of this movie aside, it is incredibly hard to stomach. Aronofskys unflinching probe into the highs and lows of drug addiction is so revealing that you begin to wonder why you ever wanted to know more about it. From Harrys needle-track ridden arm literally rotting to the point that it has to be amputated to Marions foray into prostitution and degrading sex shows, Requiem is a satisfying watch on many levels and a true ordeal on others.