INTENSE 'DREAM' BEATS THE ODDS AND FINDS AN AUDIENCE

Most moviegoers don't like downers.

They want something affirmative, uplifting. They want to leave the theater
humming the theme song.

Which makes the success of "Requiem for a Dream" particularly puzzling.

"Requiem for a Dream" is a movie about drug addiction. It's often
astoundingly beautiful -- director Darren Aronofsky is a master of imagery
and rhythm -- but it's also unrelentingly grim, with scenes so painful that
even hardened moviegoers find themselves looking away.

Yet "Requiem" has found an audience, not only at Overland Park's Rio
Theater, where it opened Nov. 17, but also nationally. According to the
Nov. 26 edition of Variety, " Requiem" was enjoying a per-screen average
(the amount of money earned per week by each print being shown) of $10,120.

In the same week the mainstream film "Charlie's Angels" had a $9,711
per-screen average; Adam Sandler's "Little Nicky" had a $6,444 per-screen
average.

Of course those films were showing on 3,000 screens each, while "Requiem"
was showing on only 35 screens. Still, that's enough to qualify "Requiem"
as a bona-fide art house hit.

"We're getting a real mix, from college-age to senior citizens," said Brian
Mossman, operator of the Rio in downtown Overland Park. "Typically our 9:30
p.m. shows are busier than we're used to, and those late shows tend to be
attended by a lot more young people."

In its first weekend, "Requiem" set a house record for the 281-seat Rio,
with more than 1,500 persons viewing the film over three days. Attendance
hasn't dropped off significantly since then, Mossman said.

Of course many an artistically challenging film has bombed at the box
office. Why has "Requiem" has succeeded where others have failed?

A couple of possibilities: First, films about drug addiction seem to
attract young, hip urban audiences. It happened a few years back with the
Scottish import "Trainspotting," which daringly employed great globs of
black humor in its depiction of a heroin addict's life.

Second, "Requiem" has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with many
critics predicting that star Ellen Burstyn will get an Oscar nomination. In
fact, the reviews have been so good that they've inspired many moviegoers
to take a chance on a film that they otherwise would have no interest in.

"Where the film is reviewed well it tends to do well," Mossman said. "But
even in towns where it got mixed reviews, positive word-of-mouth tends to
increase attendance week after week. The word out there is that if you're
serious about movies, this is one of those titles you have to see."

And then there's the "I dare you" factor. "Requiem for a Dream" is being
described as a film so intense that some viewers simply overload on its
disturbing and shocking elements. It's a bit like the horror movie that
people watch in the hopes of being scared out of their wits.

"In the first week we had two patrons who passed out. We had to call the
paramedics," Mossman reported. "One lady got queasy, stood up and fell flat
right on her stomach. They gave her some oxygen and took her away on a
gurney. It was just too intense for her.

"But before she left she told us: ` "Private Ryan" was a piece of cake
compared to this one.' "

Several scenes, including one of actor Jared Leto shooting heroin into an
gangrenous arm, actually have viewers holding their hands up to their faces
and peering between their fingers.

"And these are grown adults, women and men," Mossman said. "Most people
come out drained, saying it was good but really intense."

"Requiem" is being released without an MPAA parents-advisory rating. The
ratings board originally gave the movie an NC-17 rating; the film's
distributor, Artisan Entertainment, opted to forgo the rating (a move which
pretty much restricts the film to independently operated theaters, since
many major chains refuse to show NC-17 or unrated films).

Still, Artisan requires theaters showing the picture to place a sign in the
box office announcing that no one under 17 will be admitted.

"On the other hand," Mossman said, "my booker says this movie should be
mandatory viewing for every high school student."

To reach Robert W. Butler, movie editor for The Star, call (816) 234-4760
or send e-mail to bbutler@kcstar.com