Day 78: A Movie that Needs to be Required Viewing in a High School Classroom


Yes, I am rule breaker. For the second time, no doubt. But this was the film that originally inspired me to come up with this category in the first place. So, I'll justify my own breaking of the rules however I damn well please. Besides, I could have picked Traffic, but then I would have felt like a broken record -- since the subject matter is somewhat similar, just on a grander scale and dealing with the war on drugs -- just not as effective.

For those unfamiliar with Requiem, the film is about the horrors of struggling with addiction and how the road to hell is always paved with good intentions. (I almost typed addition, but then this would be an entirely different movie, wouldn't it? Probably starring The Count and Raymond Babbitt.) Addiction is a scary thing, and Daren Aronofsky's adaptation of  Hubert Selby, Jr.'s novel is an unflinching look into addiction and the affects it has on oneself and his or her surroundings. I believe this film should be shown in freshman orientation as to why you should say no to drugs.


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