Meanwhile, Harry's mother, Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), a lonely and obese woman, becomes fixated on a TV diet show, and her own weight loss journey becomes an all-consuming force in her life. The fourth character, Tyrone Love (Marlon Wayans), a friend of Harry's, gets involved in a lucrative but ultimately doomed scheme to sell heroin.
We meet Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn in a career-defining performance), a lonely, aging widow living in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Her life revolves around two things: watching television (specifically a vapid game show hosted by “Tappy” Tibbons) and a framed photograph of her deceased husband. When she receives a phone call informing her she has been selected to appear on the show, her life gains a sudden, desperate purpose. She must fit into her favorite red dress—the one she wore for her son’s graduation. Thus begins her descent into amphetamine psychosis. Requiem for a Dream
And we see Sara in a hospital gown, strapped to a gurney, her head shaved, her electrical scars fresh. As the camera pulls back, she curls into the fetal position. The television is on in her room; Tappy Tibbons is screaming at the audience: "You gotta be on top!" Meanwhile, Harry's mother, Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), a
The film follows four individuals, each driven by a distinct aspiration that eventually mutates into a destructive obsession: Sara Goldfarb Her life revolves around two things: watching television
: Sara’s "drug" isn't heroin; it’s the hope of being loved by millions on a game show.
Another key theme of the film is the fragmentation of identity, as the characters struggle to define themselves and find their place in the world. Marion's obsession with her body, for example, leads her to create a fantasy self, one that is reflected in her increasingly extreme and disturbing behavior.