grindy

I meant we had previous complaints, not about this journal specifically.
Sorry to disappoint.

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A smell of petroleum prevails throughout.

windsock

****

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RYM
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windsock

With Exocosmos, Finnish saxophonist Jimi Tenor tries his hand at Sun Ra-esque avant jazz, replete with cosmic themes and Afro-toned percussion. Tenor (real name Lassi Lehto) was an accomplished patron of the nu jazz wave during the mid-late 90's, and rose to be a unique voice amongst Warp alumni. Although what made those albums interesting could be called a wholly different brand of unique, he still translates that uniquity quite well into this space. Lofty, pensive and at times surprisingly epic, the album is a pretty nice interpretation of/ode to the brass space spirituals of the 1970's. Dope cover too.

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RYM
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windsock

For this journal entry I've decided to switch things up a bit and talk about a film that I watched yesterday and has stuck with me quite a bit since. Keep in mind I'm no cinema snob so take what I say with a grain of salt. Spoilers ahead.


Often remarked as one of the most disturbing films put to cinema (even when shaved down for a theater-friendly, M-rated cut), Requiem for a Dream was the second breakout film for Brooklyn director Darren Aronofsky. The first, Pi, dealt with the psychological torment of a paranoia-crazed number theorist and his obsession with unraveling the mystery behind the mathematical constant. Much like Pi, Requiem deals heavily in mental degradation as a result of chasing an unattainable goal.

But while Pi's protagonist Max is a case of an already ill mental state heeded by a paranoid obsession, Requiem instead relies on man-made madness: drug addiction. The film follows 4 main characters: Harry Goldfarb and his mother Sara, Harry's girlfriend Marion and his best friend Tyrone as each struggle with their own crippling addictions. These characters do not begin as mindless junkies however, and the tragedy of the film is not simply derived from their sad lives as a result. It's far more soul crushing than that. As the title might suggest, each of these characters are imbued not just with destructive addictions, but also dreams of hope and solace.

These disparate dreams- Harry's to be with Marion and to run a business of drug-dealing with Tyrone (Tyrone's dream as well), Sara's to rekindle some part of her life prior to her husband's death, etc.- are the primary motivations for all four main characters. They use the drugs they consume, mainly heroin in the case of Tyrone and Harry, cocaine with Marion and prescribed amphetamines for Sara, as (what they perceive to be) crutches for their aspirations. However the addictions that once gave them a semblance of vigor ultimately, without any recourse, bar them eternally from achieving any of their dreams. The movie concludes with all four characters crippled beyond repair, their addictions having desolated nearly every facet of their life.

At a surface level, Requiem may seem like a PSA in movie form. "Remember, winners don't do drugs!" and all that jazz. Aronofsky himself denies this, stating in interviews rather plainly that he didn't want Requiem to be an "MTV Movie". While the destructive nature of illicit drug use is used as the main plot device for the film, it is more used as a catalyst for the actual main theme- anything can become an addiction. The dreams of all the main characters are already fruitless goals as they lack the constitution to actually quit their drug use, which makes their seeking of them to be an obsession and not an attainable goal. In this case, hope is a drug- one that they become addicted to as much as the others. They compound on themselves over and over again, making the eventual defeat of the main characters into one that is crushing beyond comprehension.

Requiem is one of those films that I feel is gonna stick with me for quite a long time to come, mostly due to the horrific arc of Sara Goldfarb, the mentally broken, widowed mother of a heroin addict that is cajoled into self-destruction through her addiction to speed, prescribed to her by a crooked doctor. Every facet of her character is perfectly performed and written, with her futile clinging to her relateable yet unattainable goals providing some of the most emotionally resonant parts of the film. This makes the fact that Ellen Burstyn lost to Julia Roberts at the 2000's Oscars all the more sour. The arcs of the other characters, particularly Harry's, are tragic in their own right but garner most of their effect from how they juxtapose with Sara's. Still, all the characters make an enormous impact in their own ways.

Finally, the technical aspects of the film cannot be understated. Aronofsky, a man of great artistic creativity, uses a variety of excellent filmmaking techniques throughout the film. One that comes to mind is the use of fast cutting or, as Aronofsky calls it, "hip hop montage", which conveys the fleeting relief of drug use particularly well. Much of it comes from how the 5-or-so second drug montages contrast with the long, drawn-out and agonizing depression of the rest of the film stand out even better. The filmmaking style a bit off the walls in places, which many find to be a negative aspect of the movie, but in my opinion the occasionally silly aspects do well to make it and its characters feel more fractured.

Requiem for a Dream is a movie that'll make you question habit, addiction, and the human condition simultaneously. It really is a stunning and disturbing portrayal of self-destruction that goes above and beyond.

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RYM
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Frownland

lol

Little bit of sodomy and injection site rot ain't disturbing.

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Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

windsock

If you think only body horror is disturbing, then yeah.

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Frownland

The movie's tragic but I wouldn't call it exceptionally disturbing.

Review Salo next.

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Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

windsock

I would say that the gravity of the tragedy is disturbing in itself but to each their own.

Also a no on the Nazi pedo movie.

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RYM
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Frownland

If you just throw that term around, it loses all meaning. Libtards...

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Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

windsock

I mean it's partly cause **** that but also I don't want film stuff to become a regular thing. I don't watch movies often enough to make good content about them.

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RYM
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