The Wrestler
Some of you might remember how much I disliked “Requiem for a Dream”. To be honest I couldn’t even finish watching it, and that is despite my appreciation both for Jennifer Connelly and Jared Leto. Something about the film just annoyed me deeply, I don’t even know how to describe it.
For the first 10 minutes, I thought “The Wrestler” is going to be the same. I was not a huge fan of “Black Swan” – of course it was a great movie, I just didn’t thought it was as great as advertised and, as always, Darren Aronofsky overly exaggerates everything. I don’t like that, especially not about something I hold as dear as ballet. That the film is an exaggerated portrait of the main character still holds true for “The Wrestler”. At first, I couldn’t relate to Randy at all and was almost grossed out by the somewhat bloody portrayal of wrestling, which I knew nothing about. For instance, I had no idea it was all just show and still think there is something strange and disturbing about wrestling. It’s all about seeing people being violent – and it’s just a show too. That’s on the same level as gladiator games which I think was the perfect indication that the Roman Empire had to go down. Although I found wrestling itself despicable, it didn’t take too long for me to appreciate the depiction of people in the film. Oh wow. Mickey Rourke was great in the role, and Evan Rachel Wood was cast perfectly. Certainly it was a film about a wrestler, but at the same time, I thought he was a character easy to relate to in his existential struggles. Darren Aronofsky can do them so well, this existentialism, and “The Wrestler” is probably his masterpiece at it.
Just like Gorp said, the end of “Black Swan” = the end of “The Wrestler”. The film has completely overwhelmed me to the point of being incapable of properly writing about it. Definitely recommended. I’d even say I want to see what else Aronofsky made.
i’m all for loving The Wrestler over anything else by DA – though I am saying this without having seen Pi.
this is a pretty incredible film. i just love NP in Black Swan too much to say that I found MR better, but then again I believe that explosive supermarket finger-butchery scene more badass than anything in Black Swan. so there.
PS: Evan Rachel Wood is the best ever. like, go watch that HBO Mildred Pierce thing! It is amazing! It is the only time ever that I liked Winslurt!!!
Oh yeah, “Pi” is another one worth to look at. (I am rather scared that the film will have too much mathematical bullshit though.)
For me, the finger-butchery was pretty much on par with Natalie Portman’s skin-ripping. The latter has been in too many bad movies that “Black Swan” has a hard time to make up for it, but yeah she was pretty gorgeous. Still I think Mickey Rourke was better.
I want to see Mildred Pierce! (Although I know the story and it really annoys me hahahaha) Strangely enough, I think that Kate Winslet is a good actress – but I have never ever liked any of her roles either.