Drug addiction is the catalyst for some mind-altering cinematic pyrotechnics in 2000's Requiem for a Dream, a cautionary tale from director Darren Aronofsky. Based on the novel by Hubert Selby Jr., Requiem follows a young ne'er-do-well (Jared Leto), his upscale girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly), and his widowed mother (Ellen Burstyn) as they all learn the hard way about the dangers of substance abuse. There's a glimpse or two of the drug culture in Requiem, but for the most part the film probes internal landscapes. Those who've seen Aronofsky's debut film, Pi, will know that this is his strong suit, and he uses a textbook-filling array of cinematic devices to bring the addicts' hallucinatory experiences to the screen. This all builds steadily into a relentless barrage of manic intercutting that leaves some viewers exhilarated, others unnerved. While Leto and Connelly do very well in projecting a romantic chemistry that's smashed by the competing chemistry of addiction, Burstyn's Oscar-nominated performance is simply startling. Her diet-pill-induced downward slide is nothing short of horrific, as she transforms from a meek, mild-mannered, slightly overweight infomercial addict into an emaciated, deranged speed freak. Requiem starts out dark and only gets darker; it's not for the faint of heart. The Artisan DVD includes audio commentary by director Aronofsky, a making-of documentary, deleted scenes, and interviews with Burstyn and Selby.