FILM CHALLENGE: 131) The Wrestler

131) The Wrestler

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Year: 2008

Plot Summary: A faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.

A thumping 80s soundtrack and the roar of audiences complement a montage of posters in the opening of The Wrestler. These posters document the high point of professional wrestler Randy 'The Ram' Robinson's career, a time when he fought in front of thousands at Madison Square Garden and was an international name in the sporting world. As the montage ends, we cut to a tracking shot following Randy down a dimly lit corridoor, a shot that replicates the clichéd image of a champion as he makes his way into the ring. However, this is present day New Jersey and nowadays this once famous icon is playing small gigs for a miniscule number of fans, living either in his car or his trailer, and is forced to work week days at the local supermarket to pay the bills. And so soon we realise that he's not, in fact, taking the walk of fame into an arena of thousands of fans. He's not greeted with cheers or music. He's simply walking into high school hall where he's finished signing a handful of autographs for die-hard wrestling obsessives.

This sets up Darren Aronofsky's Oscar nominated drama perfectly, throwing us into the life of a man who lives and breathes to be in the ring but is facing retirement because of his age, because of his health and because the world he was once a star in has evolved and changed in a way that he never could. It's a universal story that everyone will either be able to relate to or, at some point, will very likely have to go through. We will all come to a point in our lives where we can no longer participate in the things we love. It's ability to portray such an honest, human and relatable story is one The Wrestler's strong suits. This is very much thanks to the stunning performance by Mickey Rourke who channels all of his emotional pain from when he very nearly lost control of his acting career into this role.

But praise about how incredible Rourke's performance is can be found in every review of The Wrestler. So, instead, I'd like to spend the next few moments raving about the work of two men behind the lens: Robert Siegel and Darren Aronofsky.

The former has created a simple story here, but one that contains such a rich character study and social commentary that it's almost impossible to love. In the scenes with his daughter, you almost feel like you can see the life story of Robinson before your eyes. He may be looking to connect with her now, but we understand that he neglected her in favour of his celebrity, fame and success while he was at the top of his game. She was simply a scar from his party life that he wanted to forget. His scenes with stripper Cassidy, furthermore, provide a fantastic insight into his emotions. Aside from being in the ring, her company is the only time he can be comfortable in his life. She, after all, is another soul who has exploited her body for attention. A person who, like Ram, aspires to be the good-looking young woman she once was but faces the harsh reality that she is a middle aged, single mother.

Their relationship is one of the most moving parts of the film. Despite the fact she is a stripper and he, when with her, is a client, there is rarely a feeling of sexuality between them. They simply reminisce about better times and talk about each other's lives. Marisa Tomei does a wonderful job in making what is usually such a two-dimensional kind of character into someone who feels like a real human being.

The latter, Aronofsky, who is usually famous for such visual movies like Requiem For A Dream and The Fountain instead turns to a more stripped down aesthetic here and one that immediately brings to mind the gritty, documentary-inspired early films of ’70s auteurs like William Friedkin and Martin Scorsese. Nevertheless, it doesn't feel like he is simply recreating their work or he is just taking a break from his usual stylishness. He actually manages to do a very rare thing for a director and totally give his own unique touch to a completely different style of film-making. Moreover, he invests a great deal in the grinding details of Randy’s profession. Though it is often cynically cast off as being “fake,” Aronofsky takes the time to shown that, really, it is complex kind of performance art that, while relying on scripted conflict and preset maneuvers, nevertheless exacts a physical toll that is all too real.

It may be a bleak movie, but it's one that offers a moving story of how one man must cope with the reality that he is no longer the young, free-spirited, invincible man that he once was. Packed with rich characters, mesmerising performances, great writing, an awesome visual style, a stunning commentary on the Western culture and is constantly full of symbolism and meaning, The Wrestler is also one that you can watch time and time again and still be awe-struck.

5/5

By Daniel Sarath with 1 comment