01
Requiem for a Dream
Requiem for a Dream
About Poem
This villanelle captures the essence of *Requiem for a Dream*, reflecting its themes of addiction, delusion, and inevitable decay. The cyclical structure of the form mirrors the repetitive and destructive patterns in the lives of the film’s four protagonists, emphasizing the inescapable descent into despair. Each stanza echoes the seductive pull of dreams turned to nightmares, embodying the film’s exploration of human fragility and the harrowing cost of obsession. The poem’s haunting refrains underscore the illusion of control, the grip of dependency, and the quiet devastation that follows each fleeting high.
02
Villanelle
The needle hums a lullaby of shame,
Bright dreams dissolve in television glare,
Each fleeting high returns from whence it came.
A mother dances, chasing distant fame,
Her red dress clings to hope that's barely there—
The needle hums a lullaby of shame.
His eyes are glass, his trembling hand’s to blame,
A love once pure decays beyond repair,
Each fleeting high returns from whence it came.
She trades her soul to feed the crawling flame,
The music swells in spirals of despair—
The needle hums a lullaby of shame.
The seasons twist, but suffering stays the same,
A silence loud enough to strip them bare,
Each fleeting high returns from whence it came.
Four lives collapse in sorrow none can name,
A requiem beneath the cold night air.
The needle hums a lullaby of shame,
Each fleeting high returns from whence it came.
03
Credits
Darren Aronofsky
Director
Hubert Selby Jr., Darren Aronofsky
Playwrite
Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto
Featured Cast
Leo Yu
Poem Writer