'Requiem for a Dream' 4K exclusive: Cast explains what film means to them

Celebrating its 20th anniversary with a 4K Ultra HD release, "Requiem for a Dream" is a hypnotic film about four people pursuing their visions of happiness. Even as everything begins to fall apart, they refuse to let go, plummeting with their dreams into a nightmarish, gut-wrenching freefall.

Video transcript

- We get this idea, if we get a piece of this stuff, we can cut it up and double our money, no problem.

- Shit, man, then we get us a pound of pure and retire.

- We get off hard knocks and be on easy street.

DIRECTOR (VOICEOVER): In "Requiem," there're four characters, who have a lot of dreams and a lot of hopes. But the harshness of their realities set in and slowly destroy them. And it's how people's dreams turn into nightmares.

MARLON WAYANS (VOICEOVER): "Requiem," overall, is about the tragedies of addiction. And it's not just addiction to heroin, it's addiction to TV, addiction to diet pills. It's how addiction can really take over your life or really mess you up.

- I'm gonna be on television.

- You're whack.

ELLEN BURSTYN (VOICEOVER): The film is also about people's avoidance of reality. And their addiction being the way they escape from reality and into their delusion.

- And that is one smashing dress you have on.

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDS]

ELLEN BURSTYN: Sara's dream is to get thin, fit in the red dress that she wore to her son's graduation that her husband admired so much, and to go on television.

- We're going to make it a little darker tomorrow.

- Why darker?

- To go with my red dress.

- Yeah, but now it's looking like Madonna.

- This Is not Madonna, and neither is this.

ELLEN BURSTYN: I would say this is the biggest challenge I've ever encountered. There's so much for me to do. I have to deal with so many different elements. It's one reason why I wanted to do the role is that it's been a long time since I've been this challenged. If ever.