Observation Analysis Notes

Assignment One

1
Matthew Schenck, 2016.

Observation One
Wednesday, February 3, 2016.
Darren Aronofskys, Requiem for a Dream
0:00-25:00 Minutes
Relevant Background Information: This movie takes place in
various locations throughout New Jersey in 1978. Several important
sites include Mrs. Goldfarbs apartment, Harry and Marions apartment,
and the market when Harry sells the TV. Every main character in the
movie is facing drug addiction and this is a major role in the movie. It is
important to know that this movie is based off of a novel by Hubert
Selby Jr. The movie is not exactly like the novel so it might be
confusing to first time viewers as to what is going on. It is also
important to know how this movie was shot. It is very fast paced and
switches constantly between the lives of each character. This gives a
better effect on how their lives change over the course of a year.
Actors:
Harry or Harold Goldfarb: Is the main character of the movie and his
actions play a major role in the plot. He always knows the right thing to
do but has been brought into a world that led him down the wrong
path. Every time he suggests the right thing to do he makes an excuse
or someone makes an excuse for him. Harry, as well as the other
characters, never seem to be able to catch a break.
Tyrone: Serves as Harrys best friend. He plays a major role in the plot
and plays a role in the ideas that they come up with throughout the
movie. Tyrone has a really soft personality and just wants the best for
everyone.
Mrs. Sarah Goldfarb: Serves as Harries mother and could be
considered part of Harries downfall. She always let Harry do what he
pleases and made excuses for him. She also has a downfall herself due
to her lack of self-control. She has an obsession with TV and her ability
to get addicted to things, even TV, is a big part of the plot.
Marion: Harries girlfriend and a major character in the movie. She has
a wealthy background through her family but never felt love from
them. Harry has been the only person she has felt passionate about
and it made her weak to fall into drugs. Her love fore Harry causes her
to get addicted to drugs which ultimately leads to her downfall.
Artifacts:
Addiction: Addiction is the ultimate reason for every ones downfall in
the movie. Mrs. Goldfarbs addiction to weight loss led to her addiction
for speed and downers. This addiction put her in a psych ward. Harry,
Marion, and Tyrones addiction for heroin led all of them to do
unthinkable things that led them to their downfalls.

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Assignment One

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Matthew Schenck, 2016.

Red Dress: Mrs. Goldfarbs Red dress that she wore to Harries
graduation symbolizes two things. One thing that it represents is her
loneliness by wanting to fit in it so bad to look good for other people
and for a reason to wake up in the morning. It also causes her
addiction, she wanted to lose weight so bad to fit in it that she got
addicted to speed.
Juice(TV Show): This show is repetitively playing throughout the
whole show in Mrs. Goldfarbs house. It relates to her weight loss
because it a show about weight loss because it is a health show and it
relates to her need to be on TV because it is a TV show. As the movie
goes on and her hallucinations become stronger and stronger the show
seems to be a big part of them.

0:00-3:00mins- The movie opens up with Harold Goldfarb stealing his

mothers, Mrs. Goldfarbs, T.V. set. Harold trys to guilt his mother into
giving it to him. It is obvious that this isnt the first time he has done
this because this time she has a lock on it. Even though she locked it
up this time she cannot go through with keeping the T.V. and slides the
key under the door she locked herself behind. The scene ends with
Mrs. Goldfarb talking to herself or dead husband saying that this
incident didnt happen and that everything will be okay in the end.
3:00mins- Outside the apartment waiting is Tyrone, Harolds best
friend. Tyrone addresses Harold as Jim and continues to do this
throughout the movie. They proceed to wheel the T.V. across New
Jersey to a shop that seems to be mart of a flea market. After they get
the money for the T.V. they immediately get some heroin and get high.
As they are high they make mix music and begin to talk about the idea
of cutting and selling heroin. The scene end when a cop comes and sits
down next to them at a refreshment stand. Harry daydreams about
taking the cops gun and teasing him with it and then snaps out of it.
8:00mins- Mrs. Goldfarb shows up at the market where Harold sold the
T.V. and ask the salesman for her T.V.. They address one another by
name showing that they have obviously been through this plenty of

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Assignment One

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Matthew Schenck, 2016.

times before. When the salesman ask Mrs. Goldfarb why she doesnt
call the cops on Harry she refused and said told him that Harry is all
she has. When Mrs. Goldfarb gets back to her apartment she turns the
set on and the reoccurring show Juice is on. This show is shown
throughout the whole movie. The next scene introduces Harrys girl
friend Marion when they proceed to break into an apartment complex
just to hangout on the rooftop.
10:00mins- The scene cuts back to Mrs. Goldfarb as she is receiving a
phone call from a company that chooses contestants for T.V. shows.
She is immediately intrigued by the idea of being on T.V. and wants to
try on her favorite outfit. She goes to her closet and tries on a red
dress that she wore to Harolds graduation. She cannot fit in the dress
and ask a friend to help her put it on. Her friend suggest she drop a
couple of pounds. Then the scene cuts back into Harold and Marion
having a conversation about her life. Harold asked her why she does
what she does when her parents give her plenty of money. She tells
him that even though they give her material items, they dont give her
love. Then Harry brings up her clothing designs and opening a store for
it. She turns it down saying, when will I have time to hangout with
you?

19:00mins- A new scene opens up with Mrs. Goldfarb eating her first
breakfast on her diet. Her appetite obviously is fulfilled and she begins
talking to herself saying that she can do it. She begins to watch T.V.
and the show Juice is on once again. The show is about dieting and
losing weight. Every time the show mentions something she shouldnt
eat, she wants to eat it even more. She is fed up with it and decides to
go outside with her friends on the sidewalk. They talk about the diet
and one friend mentions how her daughter lost 50lbs by going to the
doctor and getting some pills. The mailman shows up and she
approaches him asking if her application for the T.V. show has came in.
The application came in and all of them get very excited. The scene
cuts over to Tyrone and Harry and they have just discovered that they
will be able to score the heroin they need to cut. When Tyrone leaves
to go get the heroin, Harry cannot stop pacing and then he has a
vision. He is looking out his window and he sees a lady standing at the
end of a pier in a red dress. He begins running toward her and its
Marion.

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Assignment One

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Matthew Schenck, 2016.

Observation Two
Saturday, February 6, 2016.
Darren Aronofskys, Requiem for a Dream
25:00-66:00
25:00mins- Harry and Tyrone finally got the drugs they needed to start
selling and Tyrone suggest they try it. Harry explains to Tyrone very
seriously that they cannot use all the drugs instead of selling them.
Tyrone agrees and just said they should try it to see how much they
should cut. The scene cuts to Mrs. Goldfarb who is now having visions
of food because she is craving it so badly. She breaks and calls her
friend about the doctor who can prescribe weight loss pills.
28:00mins- A new scene opens up and Marion is on a date with her
therapist. She is on this date so she can take his money and make sure
that her parents still think she is seeing him so they wont cut her off.
The scene cuts to Mrs. Goldfarb while she is at the doctors office. The
doctor doesnt pay her much attention and just writes her a
prescription without asking her anything. She begins taking the
medication and states that her pills are her meals for the day. When
she takes the pills you can immediately see the effects because she
becomes very busy and jittery. Meanwhile Harry and Tyrone are selling
their drugs and are very profitable and Marion is making clothes.
Everyone is happy and thinks they are going in the right direction.
33:00mins- Tyrone bought some new mirrors showing that he is making
money and as he looks into them he has a vision of when he was a
little kid. The vision was of him and his mother talking. Tyrone told her
that one day he would make it and his mother told him that he didnt
have to make anything, he just had to love her. His girlfriend interrupts
his vision and he quickly hops in bed with her. Meanwhile Harry is
telling Marion about how he wants to give his mom a T.V. as a present,
she thinks it is a great idea. The scene cuts over to a time lapse of Mrs.
Goldfarbs day, she is cleaning, sweating, grinding her teeth, and
eventually falls asleep watching T.V.. This deeply showed the effects of
her new prescription. The next day she tries on her red dress and can
zip it up a little. All her friends can notice her weight loss and she
thinks everything is going great.

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38:00mins- Harry shows up as his mother is hanging outside with her

friends and she is very excited to see him. Harry notices her
excitement and it annoys him because he cannot tell her what he
wants to say. When he finally tells her about the present he can hear
her grinding her teeth and immediately asked about what pills she was
on. She tells him they are weight loss pills but he knows that it is a
drug called an upper or speed. He tries to explain to her that they
are not good for her and he wants her to stop. She rebuttals with a sad
excuse about how it is a reason to wake up and that she is going to be
on T.V.. Even though he knows they can kill her, he sees how happy
she is and he cant say anything else about it. When he leaves he
begins to cry about it.
47:00mins- A new scene opens and Tyrone is a car with one of the king
pins in drug trade. The kingpin is complementing Tyrones work and is
offering him a higher position when the partition begins to roll down
and the driver starts shooting at them. Tyrone begins to run away and
his caught by a cop and taken to jail. The scene cuts back to Mrs.
Goldfarb as she is on the phone with the doctor about the pills. She
explains that they are not giving her the same effect and the nurse
explains she has a tolerance now. When she hangs up she takes two
pills instead of the prescribed one pill and begins having visions.
50:00mins- Harry bails Tyrone out of jail and it cost most of their cash
they have. Harry explains to Tyrone that the street are going to be dry
of heroin because the Mafia is killing all the other drug dealers and
hoarding the drugs in Florida. Tyrone then mentions a guy named Big
Tom that has heroin but only gives it to females that give him sexual
favors. The scene cuts to Mrs. Goldfarb as she now takes three pills at
one time. The scene ends with Mrs. Goldfarb pacing in circles, Marion
mentioning dipping into the funds and saying everything will be okay,
and Harry noticing a bad sore on his arm where he injects.
53:00mins- The scene opens up with Mrs. Goldfarb visiting the
inattentive doctor. She tries to explain her side effects and that she is
not well but instead of listening he just prescribes her Valium(downers)
contributing to her addiction. The scene switches to Harry and Marion
arguing about having no money or drugs, Harry becomes furious and
heads to Tyrones house to dip into the funds. Tyrone explains some
good news and bad news to Harry. The good news is that a shipment of
drugs are coming in but the bad news is that they are doubled in price.
Since the prices are doubled Harry ask Marion to go get money from
the therapist but she explains to him that she will have to have sex
with him. She does it.

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Assignment One

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Matthew Schenck, 2016.

63:00mins- Harry and Tyrone are going to the meet the mafia to get
the drugs. As they are waiting in line a junky starts a fight and the
mafia began shooting and they were left empty handed. Harry
suggests that they drive to Florida to get some drugs. Meanwhile
Marions addiction is taking over and she is scavenging to find some
heroin.

66:00mins- Mrs. Goldfarb takes four pills and is having awful visions.
Her house is a mess and so is she. She looks very sleep deprived and
her hair is very ugly.
Observation Three
Monday, February 8, 2016
Darren Aronofskys, Requiem for a Dream
67:00-97:00
67:00mins- Harry faces Marion and tells her they didnt score. They get
into a huge fight and Harry tells her if she needs a fix so bad that she
should call Big Tom and then storms out. The scene switches over to
Mrs. Goldfarb who is now picturing herself on TV. The people on TV
were in her house and making fun of her. They were talking about how
dirty her place was and how bad she looked. She began making
excuses for herself and was so scared that she left her house.
74:00mins- Harry and Tyrone are headed to Florida and Harrys arm is
really infected now and they have to go to a hospital. The scene
switches over to Mrs. Goldfarb who has arrived at the TV Company. She
asked them why they havent contacted her and they explained it was
long process and sent her to a hospital. They labeled her as crazy and
sent her to the psych ward to detox. Meanwhile Marion cant control
her addiction and forced herself into calling Big Tim.

80:00mins- Marion shows up at Big Tims and preformed sexual acts to

get the heroin. Big Tim tells her that Sunday night he is having a
party and that she could get some more then. Tyrone something and
Harry arrive at the hospital and they are thrown in jail. Mrs. Goldfarb

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Matthew Schenck, 2016.

isnt responding to any of the drugs they are giving her so they try
electric shock on her head.
85:00mins- Marion talks on the phone with Harry and then goes to the
party where she preforms more sex acts for drugs. Tyrone and Harry
are in jail and they are with drawing really bad. They have to line up
and see who can go to work and who cant. Tyrone is forced into
working and Harry physically cant because of his arm. Harry is sent to
the hospital while he is asleep and wakes up without his arm. Marion
returns home from the party and crys herself to sleep. Mrs. Goldfarb is
sent to a psycho ward and is visited by some of her friends. They
cannot stand to see her in this state and they begin to cry for her. Mrs.
Goldfarb lays down and still has a vision of herself being on TV.
Interview and Background Information
My interviewee was an addict who had suffered from heroin and opiate
abuse. He has gone through rehab and is now clean. I chose him for
the interview because of his connection with the movie Requiem for a
Dream. He fits the demographic of the characters and suffered from
the same addiction. Although he recovered, the actors of the movie
didnt. This fine line between him and the actors of getting clean or
staying addicted shows how vastly your life can change by choosing
the right or wrong path.
Interview Questions w/ Active Mentor at a Local Rehab Center
1. Q: What lengths have you went to, to find money for
Heroin? Was it hard or did it always come easy to you? A:
My addiction was hidden from my parents for a long time. A lot of
the money I used to pay for my addiction was their money they
gave me. They did not know where the money was going, but it
was obvious as my addiction got stronger they could notice and
were a lot more reluctant to giving me money. Getting the drugs
was never hard, it seemed that the more addicted I got the more
connections I gained.
2. Q: Was there someone in your life that you felt you
affected or brought to your level of addiction? Maybe
someone who didnt do drugs but was brought into them
by you? A: Yes, one of my best friends before I got addicted was
brought into it by me. She wasnt on the same level I was on so
she didnt end up in my situation but she was very close. Im
glad that I was sent away from her so I couldnt influence her
anymore.
3. Q: What hobbies or activities did you enjoy while addicted
to Heroin? Did Heroin affect old hobbies and interest or
introduce new ones? A: Before my addiction I was very athletic

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and outgoing. I played football and ran track just like you said
you did. Heroin affected everything about my life, I quit track and
football, I stopped going outside, and I really shut myself off from
reality. The only thing I became interested in was the next batch
of heroin I could get. Heroin became something got me through
the day rather than something that got me high.
4. Q: If you could go back and change something that led to
your addiction what would it be? A: The biggest reason I got
addicted was moving schools. I didnt know anyone and I was
bored. Drugs were a big part of the teenage community here and
I couldnt help but get involved. I dont regret anything I did
because I have learned from this experience and it has made me
so much stronger.
5. Q: What was your worst experience throughout this
whole process? A: There were two things that were absolute
hell. 1. The withdrawals and detox, I dont wish that on my worst
enemy, not that I have any. And 2. The mental breakdowns I had
when I first moved away for rehabilitation. I had no one but the
therapist I had no trust for.
Analysis:
A.
Throughout the movie there were several examples of
conventions being portrayed. The conventions mainly revolve around
drug users and how they go about their everyday lives. One
convention that stuck out in the opening scene was Harry stealing his
own moms TV and everyone being okay with it. In a normal world this
would not be okay and Harry would most likely go to jail. It also showed
how Harries mother needed him so much due to her loneliness.
Another convention used throughout the movie was the use of
excuses. Every time someone argued about someone using drugs, they
always made up an excuse to use them and then every thing was okay.
For example: When Harry tried to get his mom to stop taking the
weight loss pills she fed him some long excuse and he just let her keep
taking them. Another example of a convention in the movie would be
when Marion used her therapist for money and everyone was okay with
it. She did this a couple times throughout the movie. The worst time
she did it was when she had to have sex with him to get the money.
B.
- The need for more and more drugs was common among all
characters throughout the movie. Their need for drugs also led
them to sell drugs. Ultimately the drug use was leading them to
their downfall and even though they knew this they continued to
use them.

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Matthew Schenck, 2016.

Marion has always grown up wealthy and has had anything she
ever needed and more. Although this is true she still decides to
do drugs and hang out with Harry and not abide by her parents.
Materialistic items are a lot different than emotions and its
obvious that Marion was more attached to Harries love than her
parents money.
When Harry and Tyrone get high they always seem to just sit
around and stay inside. They clearly enjoyed doing that but
nothing they did when they were high was productive. This would
be very bad for your health mentally and physically. With this
being said, it is evident that the drug use causes less activity.
Mrs. Goldfarbs loneliness has a huge affect on her lifestyle. Her
loneliness has caused her to let Harry do what ever he wants and
follow the wrong paths. He was the only thing that she had and
knew she could never turn him in. It also caused her to go down
the wrong path by obsessing over TV, being on TV, losing weight,
and trying to be accepted.

Search
Terms
- Heroin
Addiction

Sources I Can Access Based on Search Terms

-Parents that
spoil their
kids and the
outcomes
- Social
Effects of
Heroin
Addiction
-Negative
affects of
loneliness

Staff. Why Parents Should Not Spoil Their Children.

http://www.professorshouse.com/family/children/article
s/why-parents-should-not-spoil-children/

Heroin Addiction. http://www.addictions.com/heroin/

Social Effects. http://www.heroinadvisor.co.uk/heroineffects/social-effects.php

Hara Estroff Marano. The Dangers of Loneliness.
November 20th, 2015.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200307/thedangers-loneliness

Propose:
Inevitably, drug addiction will cause some sort of downfall in your
life whether you see it coming or not. Darren Aronofskys, Requiem for
a Dream, portrays that exactly. At several points in the movie, leading

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Matthew Schenck, 2016.

up to the climax and downfall, you can see the effects of drug abuse.
Some of the effects you see are depression, loneliness, and addicts
doing obscene things to get their hands on a fix. Even though this is a
movie, it represents how drug addiction can change your life.