Trainspotting 1996, The Basketball Diaries 1994, Thirteen 2003, Requiem For A Dream 2000, and Traffic 2000
Truly one of the most heartbreaking, most darkest, and one of the most powerful marathons ever conducted. There are moments and scenes that will burn in the memory long after viewing of these films. Together, these films give a realistic depiction of drug addiction and the influence of outside parties propelling that downward spiral. One question that should be asked going into this lineup is how do you fight the war on drugs? How do you wage war on friends and family? Those are questions that this evenings lineup is going to attempt to answer. The first movie of the lineup is the Oscar nominated critically acclaimed drama and cult classic titled Trainspotting starring Ewan McGregor and Ewen Bremner. This story centers around a man named Renton played by McGregor, who becomes deeply immersed in the drug world. Although he makes efforts to try and live a clean life, he finds that the power of the influence of friends and the temptation of drugs ultimately lures him back in. This film is the perfect opening for this marathon and introduces issues such as fighting addiction, trying to turn your life around, and being sucked back into the temptation and peer pressure. The second movie of the evening continues that trend but takes things down to a more personal level with The Basketball Diaries. Starring Leonardo Dicaprio, Mark Whalberg, and Ernie Hudson, the film centers around a young basketball played named Jim Carroll, who dreams of becoming a basketball star one day but finds himself getting pulled into a life of crime, drugs, addiction, and heartbreak as his relationship between him and his mother is tarnished. Coming right off his phenomenal performance in What's Eating Gibert Grape, Basketball Diaries showcases Dicaprio's growing talents going into the films that would turn him into the international heartthrob such as Romeo and Juliet and James Cameron's Titanic. Basketball Diaries introduces the mother and son dynamic that comes back full circle and ten times more powerful in Requiem for a Dream with Jared Leto and Ellen Burstyn. The third movie of the marathon is Catherine Hardwicke's 2003 true to life drama titled Thirteen. Nominated for an academy award for Holly Hunter's commanding performance as a mother trying to stop her only daughter from going down a path that leads her into the world of drugs, sex, and alcohol thanks to the influence of her troubled best friend. Evan Rachel Wood and Nikki Reed give unforgettable performances as the lead characters in this polarizing tale of the power of addiction and misguided friendships. The fourth movie of the evening is perhaps the darkest film of them all with the intensity reaching it's all time high in Darron Aronofsky's Reqiuem For A Dream. Magnetic and unforgettable, this crown jewel of the marathon centers around four different characters and story arcs of addictions reaching their peak and the downward spiral into hell being a heartbreaking one. No story arc in this film is more heartbreaking than the one revolving around the characters of Jared Leto and his mother played by Ellen Burstyn in a towering performance that's deeply haunting. Reqiuem for a Dream is essentially a story about four people's hopes and dreams being crushed by drug addiction and the consequences being worse than they could ever imagine. Special kudos also goes to the outstanding performances of Marlon Wayans in his only dramatic role of his career, and Jennifer Connelly in performances that burn in the memory. There isn't enough words to describe the sheer impact of this film long after it's over but just that it's a film that everyone should see at least once in their life. The fifth and final film of the evening gives the marathon it's proper closure and answers some questions concerning the issue of the war on drugs. Steven Soderberg's 5 time Oscar winning drama Traffic centers around four different stories that revolve around the theme of fighting the war on drugs. The one story arc that powers this film is that of a conservative judge played by Michael Douglas, being appointed to lead the frontlines in the war on drugs. While fighting this war in the political arena, Douglas also has to attend to his daughter's increasing addiction played by Erika Christensen. These two are backed by a strong supporting cast among the likes of Catherine Zeta Jones playing a trophy wife who discovers that her jailed husband runs a major underground drug business and has to preserve it for their own survival. Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman play two DEA agents who attempt to break down walls and barriers that are influencing the passage of drugs through the border, and Benicio Del Toro playing a vigilante cop who slowly begins to realize that his boss is not as anti-drug as he makes himself out to be. Traffic brings it all home with it's final message at the end of the film with Michael Douglas asking during a pivotal speech after saving his daughter from addiction "How do you wage war on your own family?" He closes the film out with a great afterthought that makes his character arc coming full circle when realizing that the war on drugs cannot be fought through political means but by listening to and supporting those who are fighting it with love and unconditional support.
So what are all of these movies trying to say as a whole? To repeat the message of each film would be repetitive but to sum them all up as a whole is more essential. Trainspotting, Basketball Diaries, Thirteen, Requiem for a Dream, and Traffic all say that addiction is a force that only brings negative consequences to your life, and to fight the war on drugs, you have to listen to those who are on the battlefield and hear their testimonies while supporting them in their fight to overcome their addictions.
Our characters for this evening:
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