Requiem for a Dream

An evocative, poignant saga of four people trapped - and ultimately destroyed - by their addictions

Sara Goldfarb is devastated by the death of her husband. She spends her days watching game shows and obsessing over appearing on television as a contestant - and her prescription diet pills only accelerate her mania. Her son, Harry, is living in the streets with his friend Tyrone and girlfriend Marion, where they spend their days selling drugs and dreaming of escape. When their heroin supply dries up, all three descend into an abyss of dependence and despair, their lives, like Sara's, doomed by the destructive power of drugs.

Tragic and captivating, "Requiem for a Dream" is one of Selby's most powerful works, and an indelible portrait of the ravages of addiction.