After watching the film, Requiem for a Dream by director Darren Aronofsky (2000), my initial reaction was thinking how depressing and lonely life must be for an addict. At that moment I realized the importance of reflecting on my own values and biases prior to working with substance abuse clients. Bracketing my own beliefs and understanding my cultural identity is a step towards attaining multicultural competency (Brooks, 2015, p.15). The protagonists in the film; Harry, Sara Goldfarb, Marianne, and Tyrone, experience addiction in various ways. Their relationships with each other appeared to be negatively affected by their addiction and each experience consequences to their addiction in different ways. As a counselor, I would need to consider each of the protagonists' cultural background, obtain a clear understanding of the substances that are abused, and bracket my own values in order to provide goals of treatment. .
In the film, Harry is a white male character whose age is not revealed. He is also a university graduate. His relationship with his mother, Sara Goldfarb, appeared strained as evidenced by stealing his mother's television, yelling at her and not visiting her often. His drug addiction includes speed, cocaine, and heroin. Harry's addiction appeared to intensify throughout the movie as the drugs began to negatively affect his body and as well as partaking in criminal behavior (e.g., drug dealing). His mother, girlfriend, and best friend all seemed to be addicted to something (drugs, television, etc.), live unhealthy lifestyles and experienced faulty thinking. In Harry's case, he believed that if he could make more money by selling drugs, then he could be successful and happy. His health declined significantly after injecting heroin into the same spot on his arm multiple times, thus leading to the spread of infection and consequently getting his arm amputated. Per his treatment plan, Harry would benefit from individual, group, couple, and family counseling, to address communication and relationship issues with his mother, girlfriend, and drug use.
