The Wrestler is not the film I wanted from Darren Aronofsky. A film about a professional wrestler staring Mickey Rourke of all people did not sound like my cup of tea. While I felt let down by The Fountain, Aronofsky's last film, I felt it was an ambitious film that felt like a logical followup to his masterpiece Requiem for a Dream. He was clearly creating a distinctive style for himself that, had he continued with it, would have made the word "Aronofsky-esque" a buzz word for cinema in future generations. Instead we got The Wrestler, a major departure from his last two films, and it may very well have solidified Aronofsky as one of the most versatile filmmaker of his generation.Aronofsky is very much a part of a new 00's generation of young filmmakers, whose other players include Christopher Nolan and Richard Kelly of Donnie Darko fame. With the decade winding down, it feels very much like these new visionaries have helped shape this decade's cinema in much the same way Quentin Tarrantino did for the 90's. Unfortunately, when you help shape an era of film, you become in danger of being trapped in that decade. Tarantino may still be a big name, but he is certainly not the reliable filmmaker we all once hoped he'd be. And Richard Kelly perhaps demonstrated best of all how a filmmaker can capture the zeitgeist so perfectly, only to become irrelevant as the years pass. I honestly believe Aronofsky must have examined the career path Kelly has taken and realized he was in danger of following right behind. As a result, we have The Wrestler, a stripped down, achingly real portrait of a man with no certain future.
The film certainly starts off at its own deliberate pace. For much of the opening scenes we follow right behind Randy "The Ram" Robinson, never seeing his face. This is a shot that repeats throughout the film, at first alienating, but eventually giving you an over the shoulder view of the man's life. Randy is played by Mickey Rourke, a man whose own career seems to have inevitably led to this film, a perfect meeting of actor and writing. Rourke gives an incredibly lived in performance, you feel the years of turmoil this guy has been through. He is supported by Marisa Tomei as a stripper friend named Cassidy, and Evan Rachel Wood as his estranged daughter Stephanie. Tomei does a good job playing off of Rourke, but Wood feels out of place. The estranged daughter storyline fits the film well, but the way it is handled makes the film stop in place in one major moment. A stronger actress perhaps could have made us feel a bit more empathy for the situation Randy had put his daughter in.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention some of the wrestling scenes, which are among the most uncomfortable and excruciating scenes I've seen all year. Aronofsky adds a level of tension to these scenes, especially after Ram has a heart attack and knows he should no longer be submitting himself to these acts. The scene that everyone will be talking about, however, is a fight early on that involves broken glass, a staple gun, and barbed wire. It is unbearable. It's also the breaking point. We see to what lengths Randy is willing to go to in order to hold on to his former glory days, and it is here that he also finally is given a chance to reexamine the path his life has taken. This scene is so visceral, you would be forgiven for looking away. But it is an inevitable step in this man's path, a crossroads. Randy has seen what becomes of men like him - wheelchair bound, dependant on colostomy bags, lost hearing. It isn't pretty and he knows a change is needed.
Aronofsky has been able to change up his style early in his career without abandoning the themes and characters that made his past films work. In many ways, the story of Randy mirrors that of Harry Goldfarb in Requiem. Both are men who are traveling down an inevitable path from which there appear to be no exits. But where Harry's life is eternally doomed, there is a ray of hope for Randy. The film ends ambiguously, and the more cynical could see it as the final curtain for Randy. But there is certainly enough there to let you assume that he will finally embrace a change in his life.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention some of the wrestling scenes, which are among the most uncomfortable and excruciating scenes I've seen all year. Aronofsky adds a level of tension to these scenes, especially after Ram has a heart attack and knows he should no longer be submitting himself to these acts. The scene that everyone will be talking about, however, is a fight early on that involves broken glass, a staple gun, and barbed wire. It is unbearable. It's also the breaking point. We see to what lengths Randy is willing to go to in order to hold on to his former glory days, and it is here that he also finally is given a chance to reexamine the path his life has taken. This scene is so visceral, you would be forgiven for looking away. But it is an inevitable step in this man's path, a crossroads. Randy has seen what becomes of men like him - wheelchair bound, dependant on colostomy bags, lost hearing. It isn't pretty and he knows a change is needed.
Aronofsky has been able to change up his style early in his career without abandoning the themes and characters that made his past films work. In many ways, the story of Randy mirrors that of Harry Goldfarb in Requiem. Both are men who are traveling down an inevitable path from which there appear to be no exits. But where Harry's life is eternally doomed, there is a ray of hope for Randy. The film ends ambiguously, and the more cynical could see it as the final curtain for Randy. But there is certainly enough there to let you assume that he will finally embrace a change in his life.
