It was a pleasure sitting down with Randy Havens at CAPE Cornwall a few months back. Everyone’s favourite science teacher from the ultra popular Netflix series Stranger Things (Mr. Clarke for those wanting his character’s name), the actor has carved out an intriguing persona on the show – a kind-hearted, nurturing mentor and positive influence for the exuberant youths who are constantly dealing with things that go bump in the night.
Also having standout roles on the television shows Halt and Catch Fire, Sleepy Hollow, Living the Dream and in the animated series Archer, he will next be seen in a few highly anticipated motion pictures. . . namely the Joel Edgerton written, directed and starring Boy Erased, Jason Reitman’s Gary Hart Presidential campaign biopic The Front Runner, Sean Anders’ newest comedy, Instant Family, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters – the sequel to the favourably reviewed 2014 feature.
Chatting all things Stranger Things, Havens was gracious with his time. When the conversation turned to his favourite film, he immediately referenced Darren Aronofsky’s 2000 psychological drama Requiem for a Dream. Make sure to watch the interview below to hear some great tidbits, including some background information on his Stranger Things’ character and the movie that tops his list.
A kaleidoscopic vision of addiction, Aronofsky tinkers with the medium, utilizing split screens (both vertical and horizontal), repetition, fugue like visions and flashbacks, clever transitions, montage-style drug-using shots, different footage speeds (as well as time-lapse photography), and camera mounts (placing us in a disorienting proximity to the actors) to achieve his mesmeric visual tapestry. In fact, Aronofsky edited the film with approximately two thousand cuts (about three times more than an average film), symbolic of addiction and the loss of control experienced by the addicts. Aronofsky further develops his vision by way of an interesting palette – often using hazy yellows, browns, greens, and blues (in other words, colours that are rarely alive – other than certain visions, or accents that are meant to be noticed for a specific reason).
Following four leads through three seasons (Summer, Fall and Winter), Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) is a lonely aging woman, husband gone and son off doing his own thing. Hooked on television (her favourite show, an almost religious-spouting style game/reality show hosted by Tappy Tibbons – played by Christopher McDonald, he improvised most of the scenes), she is ecstatic when she receives a call telling her that she will soon be on television. . . a dream for the lady, she immediately tries to cut out another one of her vices (food), losing weight by way of diet and diet pills.
Her son is Harry (Jared Leto), a young man living for his next high. Addicted to heroin, he spends most of his time with his clothing designer girlfriend, Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly), and best bud, Tyrone C. Love (Marlon Wayans) – another druggie. Already in the spiralling stages, they steal and scheme, stooping to all-new lows in order to try to reach that intoxicating ecstasy that becomes evermore elusive.
Co-written by Aronofsky and Hubert Selby Jr. (the author of the novel of the same name that the film is based on), the film making team develops a frightening, trippy vision of a descent into hell. That fix, never satiated, leads them down a dark path, ever more desperate to achieve that first high, they stoop to dangerous lows to raise the funds to fuel their habit – Aronofsky and Selby Jr. challenge the viewer with issues of mental illness, drug trading, selling oneself sexually, to live the life they have forged. Intriguingly, the two tales (Sara vs. the three twenty-something’s) follow an almost identical path, emphasizing not only the obvious dangers of drug use, but also the addictive qualities of food and diet – two things that can be just as dangerous (though often not thought of in the same light).
An example of split screen found in Requiem for a Dream
Centred on four superlative actors, each star is able to get the most out of their character. Burstyn, channelling an image of loneliness and unhappiness (a woman lacking meaning in her life), she finds something to live for in this promise of appearing on tv – a desire to be somebody, to live the dream (though it is likely just that, a dream). Desperate to spruce up and fit into her old red dress (she also wears the same coloured lipstick and dyes her hair an orange-y hue – an accent colour that is a striking warning), her original diet difficulties lead her to utilizing pills, and like a drug, she takes larger and larger doses, her psyche cracking under the medicine and pressure. Leto, Connelly, and Wayans, perfectly capture drug use at its worst. Though Connelly’s character clearly has the potential of a successful future (she does have some skill at designing clothing – Connelly actually studied the field and made most of her own outfits for the picture), it may be Wayans’ Tyrone who has the best chance at recovery (see if you can figure out why), while Leto’s Harry, even at the beginning of the feature (stealing his mom’s television, pawning it to pay for his heroin), is a shell of the man he should be – though likely never has been.
Then, there is Clint Mansell’s epic main theme. A beautiful requiem descending into madness, it is somehow able to straddle the two mediums to perfection – capturing both the Everest highs and Mariana Trench of lows experienced by the four individuals. So popular is this portion of the composition (called Lux Aeterna), that it has been used for countless other things, including trailers like The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Man on Fire, and I Am Legend, as well as entrances for many sports teams, such as Notre Dame, the Boston Celtics, Arsenal, and the England Rugby Union team – an influential piece, to say the least.
A transcendent film, Requiem for a Dream is by no means for someone looking for a light-hearted watch. . . a dark, disturbing picture, its fleeting looks at how drugs make it seem like all is possible is promptly replaced by the horrors of feeding that addiction. With all of the moving parts coming together – superb direction, acting, cinematography and music, it is a cinephile’s dream. So, take a hit of this intoxicating feature, it may not be worth paying an arm and a leg for, but it is, at the very least, worth the former.