temptation, Requiem for a Dream suggests, are perilously close to one another in the pursuit of dreams. And that condition may litter the road to realization with mines and pitfalls, slicks and rifts, all obscured by the voracity of the dreamer's forward momentum. The insertion of addiction into this mix will redefine that momentum wholly, rippling it into a jagged downward spiral. Such is the overarching theme of both Hubert Selby, Jr.'s 1978 novel and the film based on it, directed by Darren Aronofsky in 2000. And in fact, the movie does not simply echo the novel in sentiment, but is also relatively faithful in terms of characters, plot devices and plot action. Naturally, though, an undertaking such as the cinematic rendering of Selby's dark, troubling and unflinching story runs into the considerable challenge of meeting justifiably high expectations. After all, Selby's novel, though obscure in popular culture circles until...
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