Movies Like Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Requiem for a Dream is a 2000 crime, drama film from Darren Aronofsky with a MovieMagicScore of 8.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with 6 Balloons and Trainspotting.

Crime Drama

6 Balloons

2018

Over the course of one night, a woman drives across LA with her heroin addict brother in search of a detox center, with his two-year-old daughter in tow.

6.0

MagicScore

Trainspotting

1996

Heroin addict Mark Renton stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends --Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud and Tommy. He also has an underage girlfriend, Diane, along for the ride. After cleaning up and moving from Edinburgh to London, Mark finds he can't escape the life he left behind as Begbie and Sick Boy come knocking.

8.0

MagicScore

Martyrs

2008

A young woman’s quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tortured her as a child leads her and her best friend, also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.

7.3

MagicScore

Queer

2024

In 1950s Mexico City, William Lee, an American ex-pat in his late forties, leads a solitary life amidst a small American community. However, the arrival in town of Eugene Allerton, a young student, stirs William into finally establishing a meaningful connection with someone.

6.5

MagicScore

Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End of the Street

2000

The film follows a simple structure, and shows the drug-related degradation of five youths (Jake, Tracey, Jessica, Alice, Oreo) during the course of three years. The film depicts drug-related crimes and diseases: prostitution, male prostitution, AIDS, and lethal overdoses.

6.7

MagicScore

Killing Zoe

1993

Zed is an American vault-cracker who travels to Paris to meet up with his old friend Eric. Eric and his gang have planned to raid the only bank in the city which is open on Bastille day. After offering his services, Zed soon finds himself trapped in a situation beyond his control when heroin abuse, poor planning and a call-girl named Zoe all conspire to turn the robbery into a very bloody siege.

6.2

MagicScore

Heaven Knows What

2015

A young heroin addict roams the streets of New York to panhandle and get her next fix, while her unstable boyfriend drifts in and out of her life at random.

6.5

MagicScore

A Tale of Two Sisters

2003

Two sisters return home after a stay in a mental institution, only to face disturbing events and a strained relationship with their stepmother. As eerie occurrences unfold, dark family secrets begin to surface, blurring the line between reality and nightmare.

7.1

MagicScore

Go

1999

A supermarket clerk decides to step in for an absent drug dealer, setting off an explosive, comedic chain of events.

7.0

MagicScore

#10

Bad Lieutenant

1992

While investigating a young nun's rape, a corrupt New York City police detective, with a serious drug and gambling addiction, tries to change his ways and find forgiveness.

7.0

MagicScore

#11

Tell Your Children

1938

High-school principal Dr. Alfred Carroll relates to an audience of parents that marijuana can have devastating effects on teens: a drug supplier entices several restless teens, Mary and Jimmy Lane, sister and brother, and Bill, Mary's boyfriend, into frequenting a reefer house. Gradually, Bill and Jimmy are drawn into smoking dope, which affects their family lives.

4.3

MagicScore

#12

Holiday Heart

2000

After losing his police officer lover, Christian drag queen Holiday Heart meets 12-year-old Niki and her drug-addicted mother, Wanda. Heart finds relief from heartache and a renewed sense of purpose when he steps in as a father figure to Niki and welcomes the two women into his life. But when Wanda becomes romantically involved with her drug dealer, Silas, it may endanger Niki and threaten to destroy the makeshift family.

6.8

MagicScore

#13

Snuff 102

2007

A young Argentinian reporter is writing an article about snuff films - which depict real torture, rape and murder of people. But seeking the films and those behind them might backfire. She herself is in danger of becoming one of the suffering.

3.0

MagicScore

#14

The Last Joint Venture

2008

The decade of the hippies is at an end and the 80's are approaching fast. Carl and Robert are two doped out guys who lives in harmony with the world around them and let life pass by in an eternal hash high. They have been peddling hashish for a decade, hitting an all time high with this last batch: 45 Kilos of pure, high grade Nepalese Hashish. Following the delivery, the police are on their tail.

6.2

MagicScore

#15

Circuit

2001

The hunky John is a closeted small-town cop who moves to L.A., where he is quickly seduced into the gay life of workouts and dusk-to-dawn parties. With actual circuit party footage and mounds of glistening and chiseled flesh, the pulsating Circuit is bound to get your juices flowing.

5.5

MagicScore

#16

Moonlight

2016

The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.

7.4

MagicScore

#17

The Brutalist

2024

When an innovative modern architect flees post-war Europe, he is given the opportunity to rebuild his legacy. Set during the dawn of the modern United States (in Pennsylvania), his wife joins him, and their lives are forever changed by a demanding, wealthy patron.

6.9

MagicScore

#18

Strangers with Candy

2006

A prequel to the critically acclaimed series featuring Jerri Blank, a 46 year old ex-junkie, ex-con who returns to high school in a bid to start her life over.

5.6

MagicScore

#19

The Boston Strangler

1968

Boston is being terrorized by a series of seemingly random murders of women. Based on the true story, the film follows the investigators path through several leads before introducing the Strangler as a character. It is seen almost exclusively from the point of view of the investigators who have very few clues to build a case upon.

6.7

MagicScore

#20

The Heroin Busters

1977

Drug use in the city of Rome is at an all-time high. Children score from dealers in front of their schools, mules waltz straight through airport security, and Interpol's main man, Mike Hamilton, is at his wits' end. Fed up to the back teeth with the local police force's incompetence, his only hope is to rely on one of his own men, Fabio, an officer so deep undercover that no-one but Hamilton knows who he really is. Even as Fabio gains the trust of cartel leader Gianni, however, the dealers are edging ever closer to the truth, and when his cover is blown, the hunter becomes the hunted as Fabio finds himself alone in a desperate fight to survive.

6.3

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Requiem for a Dream?

The top films similar to Requiem for a Dream by MovieMagicScore are 6 Balloons (6.0), Trainspotting (8.0), Martyrs (7.3). Each shares crime/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Requiem for a Dream worth watching?

Requiem for a Dream holds a MovieMagicScore of 8.0/10 from 10,551 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Requiem for a Dream?

Requiem for a Dream (2000) is a crime, drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly.

Where can I find more recommendations like Requiem for a Dream?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like 6 Balloons Movies like Trainspotting Movies like Martyrs Movies like Queer Movies like Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End of the Street Movies like Killing Zoe

About movies like Requiem for a Dream

This ranked list pairs Requiem for a Dream (2000), a crime and drama film from Darren Aronofsky, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Ellen Burstyn take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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