Darren Aronofsky’s 2008 film The Wrestler is not for the weak-hearted. It’s a brutal film on the life of a washed-up wrestler, Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson, and his path to self-destruction.
The Ram lives in the past. His sustenance comes from his past glory. Unable to find a place in the world that you and I live in, or love from his estranged daughter and a stripper-dancer he is attracted to, The Ram succumbs to and finds comfort in the only thing he understands: the life of a professional wrestler. But even here, and despite the recognition and admiration he receives from his fellow wrestlers, The Ram’s time has run out.
The Wrestler is a bleak portrayal of this story, and director Aronofsky executes it superbly. From his choice of Mickey Rourke as The Ram, to the bleak setting of New Jersey winter, to the seedy strip clubs where losers hang out, to the futility of The Ram’s life reflected in the life of the stripper-dancer, to the gruesome enactments of the wrestling matches, to the 1980s Rock music, to the camera stalking The Ram from behind… Aronofsky’s mastery is everywhere.
But, it is the pain that is so real in The Wrestler. It seeps through the film and tugs at your heartstrings. One look at The Ram’s aged and scarred face and body tells you everything. You know it’s over even before it begins. Yet, you sit through the whole film with an anticipation you can’t explain. There are a few flashes of hope in The Ram’s life, but soon they are washed away before your eyes – as does The Ram’s own life. There are no redemptions here; no happy endings to hope for.
I’m amazed how Aronofsky pulls the whole thing through. Mickey Rourke (a huge comeback for him after many years) as The Ram is superb. He should have won an Oscar. Marisa Tomei as the stripper-dancer Cassidy also does an excellent job in a supporting role. If you think you can handle the pain, the despair and the not-so-perfectness of life, you’ll enjoy every blow The Wrestler delivers.
06 September 2009
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2 comments:
It is a brillient film, and a superb performance. Rourke was so authentic that I almost felt in some scenes that he was not performing at all. I really cared for him through-out the movie, and the moment when he gazes into the empty gallery before his final fall...it ached.
I agree. Mickey Rourke should have won an Oscar. I've seen 'Milk' and Sean Penn's acting certainly doesn't deserve an Oscar over Mickey Rourke's performance.
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