Sound Analysis of a scene from a thriller film

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans

Studio: Artisan Entertainment

Year: 2000

Can be found here (Warning explicit) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVG016rdACE

Sequence starts at 2:43

Sequence ends at 5:23

‘Requiem For a Dream,’ is an iconic Thriller/Drama. It follows the lives of four junkies and the long-term effects the drugs they take on them. The sequence I am analysing is in the last 10 minutes of the film. I chose it as it is the climax of the film, and cuts between our main characters throughout the sequence, and so is therefore an example of a good use of a sound bridge. 

Firstly the use of non-diegetic sound is limited in this sequence. This adds to the realism of the piece, and ensures the audience see this as a natural sequence: not dream/or unnatural occurrence. The power of this sequence is that it is grotesquely real, in your face, of what really can happen to those who suffer from addiction. From the onset, a dramatic soundtrack plays. It is of a series of repeated serrated violin staccatos. This connotes that what is happening onscreen is scary, dramatic and dangerous. The high pitched violin replicates what the characters (and audience at this point) are feeling: intense fear and pain. The next piece of non-diegetic sound is created through the use of an electronic keyboard to produce a Psycho-esque rift. This suggests to the audience that there is a climax in the action in the scene. In this case, it further exemplifies the pain Mrs Goldburt is in, and helps the audience achieve a shared catharsis of the fear she feels in this moment. Another is the thump of the cocaine against a (presumed to be) table. This thump is louder than it should be: like the sound of a wallet hitting a table. This suggests that the drugs, and in this scene in particular the cocaine, have a violent and hard effect on our characters. Finally the sound of a timpani being beat twice a second can be heard towards the end of the sequence: when the doctors are testing the bone saw in front of Jared Leto’s character. The two beats a second is symbolic as they replicate the audience’s, and potentially character’s heart rate. I personally find that my heart rate reaches to about 120bpm when I watch this sequence. The deep sound of the timpani also reflects the depth of the heart beat: it is intense and panicked, just like the characters’.

Diegetic sounds are used in this scene to establish who we are watching and what they are doing or experiencing. For example, we know we are watching Jared Leto’s character due to the low angle shot and the clinical hospital staff but predominately due to the doctor’s dialogue and the sound of the bone saw. An example of the dialogue used is, “we are going to need to cut it at the shoulder.” When we hear this, we know that the doctors must be talking about Leto’s character as he is the only character with an infected arm. We are able to differentiate Leto’s character’s doctors from Mrs Goldburt’s psychiatric doctors mainly due to the contrast in camera angle, high angle for Mrs Goldburt, and the dialogue, which is minimal and talks only about voltage etc.

The diegetic sound in Mrs Goldburt’s scenes are far more intense than any of the other characters. This is mainly due to the fact that she is, arguably, in the most amount of pain. The electronic buzz of the two electrodes is louder than the soundtrack, and is central to the whole sequence, as it acts as a transition between the other characters’ scene. It is discerning and helps convey to the audience how much pain Mrs Goldburt is in. 

Diegetic sound is also used in Marion’s scene, to help create and reinforce the hostile environment she is in. We hear sounds of shouting, businessmen cheering and shouting obscenities. This diegetic sound aptly combines Jennifer Connelly’s acting to give the audience the impression that she in a dog fight, where the businessmen are objectively betting on her. In actual fact she is being paid for sex work, which is being viewed at work looks like some sort of twisted office event. 

The sound bridging in this sequence is a good example of how to piece together each character’s scenes, in a fluid and dramatic fashion. The soundtrack plays throughout the sequence, which effectively suggests that all the scenes are happening simultaneously. This adds to the overall dramatic effect of showing a climax for all of the character’s plot lines: the final consequence of their addiction. Dialogue is also used to bridge certain character’s scenes to another, in particular Marlon Wayans’ scenes’ dialogue typically bridge the next scene, as what he is experiencing is the least dramatic. This keeps the audience interested and invested in all characters. Additionally by repeating the incessant comments by the warden in most of the scenes, adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere f all of their scenes: none of them can escape or run from what is happening to them right now. 

In conclusion, the meaning of this sequence is that we are witnessing the final product of constant and relatively short term addiction. The sequence helps emphasise the irony of their actions: they are willing to be in pain for the long term, just to be high in the short term. In Jared Leto’s case, he sees that his arm is infected, prepares the needle and just says “fuck it,” before injecting into the source of infection.