Synopsis for
Requiem for a Dream (2000) More at IMDbPro »

Requiem for a Dream is a movie about several people whose lives change dramatically because of their particular addictions. Harry (Jared Leto) and Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) are two friends who live in a big city. They decide to make money by reselling heroin on the street so that they can get away from their dead-end lives. Eventually, they make a fair amount of money. They talk about buying a large amount of extremely pure heroin so that they can make the money they feel they need to "make it".

Marion (Jennifer Connelly), who is Harry's girlfriend, has a distant relationship with her parents, who we never see on the screen, but sometimes goes out with Arnold (Sean Gullette), her psychiatrist, in order to appease them. She, along with Harry and Tyrone, snort and shoot heroin, drop speed, and talk a lot about their dreams for a better future.

Sara receives a mysterious call from someone who claims that she has been selected to appear on a TV show. She wants to wear a particular red dress, but is too fat to fit into it. She hears about a way to lose a lot of weight by taking certain medications from a doctor, so she decides to try.

As the film progresses, so does the debilitating effects of the drugs that Harry, Tyrone, Marion, and Sara use. The money that was made by Harry and Tyrone is spent on several things. Harry purchases a large entertainment set for his mother. Tyrone lands in jail and needs to be bailed out. Eventually, they run out of heroin and find that they cannot buy any more for lack of money. Harry convinces Marion to sleep with Arnold so that she can get enough money for Harry to make a purchase. At the place where the drug deal is to be made, a scuffle breaks out and the supplier drives away, leaving several people -- Harry included -- without drugs.

Harry's relationship with Marion hits rough spots when the need for drugs starts to overcome their sensibilities. Marion blames Harry for their bad situation. Harry also discovers a black spot on his arm where he injects the heroin.

Sara's mind begins to fall apart as she continues taking the medication to lose weight. She experiences hallucinations involving her refrigerator. They get more and more intense. At one point, Sara has a grand hallucination wherein she finds herself as a guest of honor in an infomercial.

Harry and Tyrone cannot find any heroin in the city, so they decide to drive to Florida to make a purchase. Marion prostitutes herself so that she can obtain the drug she needs. The black spot on Harry's arm grows to an alarming size and he begins complaining about the pain. Tyrone drives Harry to a hospital in an unknown location. The two are arrested and sent to jail. While there, the problem with Harry's arm becomes too much to bear and he is sent to the prison infirmary, where the doctors apparently have no choice but to cut off Harry's arm to save him.

Sara's hallucinations with the refrigerator reach a climax. The refrigerator lurches through the kitchen and opens a wide toothy mouth. Sara runs from her apartment in fear. She wanders as though she were insane and ends up at a television station. Sara is eventually apprehended and sent to a mental hospital. She refuses treatment and is then subjected to electro-shock therapy. Her friends visit her, but she is only a shell of her former self.