Although both Malena and Requiem for a Dream were released in 2000, they are very different films. There are multiple reasons why one film should be chosen over another, including the plot, the effect on the viewer, the actors/actresses, and the viewer's taste in certain films. Another aspect of the decision is the amount of themes covered in a film and their importance. The more themes a film forms, the more a person can learn by sitting down and watching a film. Malena is a romantic film about courage, lust and affection. Requiem for a Dream is a completely different film because it tells the story of four people's lives ruined and dreams destroyed due to drug addiction. I believe Malena was so much better than a movie because it had so much more to offer spanning its multiple genres, a great performance without movie stars, and a real life story conveyed perfectly. Requiem for a Dream is a great film that tells the story of four individuals who ruin their lives due to drug addiction. Although the situations in which they become addicted were different, this showed the variety of ways in which addiction is caused and how it affects people's lives. I liked how this movie shows what drug addicts really go through when they are on drugs and what they do to get it once they are addicted. This film transports the viewer to a different world, where people with great aspirations continue to end up at the bottom only because of drugs. We see this in the horrific scenes where Marion uses sex to get drugs, which I think is the ultimate thing for a woman. We also see this in an extreme scene where Harry sticks the heroin needle into his horribly rotten forearm because he is so addicted. Another time is when Sara, Harry's mother, starts taking diet pills that are really the speed drug, and then starts taking larger amounts until she experiences her last high and never comes back. I will never understand why drug addicts put themselves through so much trouble. It really opens viewers' minds to what really happens in the world of drugs and probably scares most people away from their casual drug use because of the horrors they see in this film. Another thing I liked about this movie is that it used a lot of well-known actors and actresses.