The Wrestler by Darren Aronofsky

The Wrestler is the new film by acclaimed indie director, Darren Aronofsky (PI and Requiem for a dream). Starring are Mickey Rourke as old-school wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson, Marisa Tomei as aged-stripper Cassidy and Evan Rachel Wood as Randy's daughter.

Randy, a legendary wrestler from the 80s, is wrestling 20 years later because is the only thing he knows and is his life support. He struggles to pay the rent and to stay in shape, so he also works in a supermarket deli and fixes himself with some roids, respectively. He frequents a stripper bar for cheering his life up and flirts with his favorite stripper, Cassidy. He has no relationship with his daughter, Stephanie. After a hardcore match, Randy has a heart attack, resulting in not being able to wrestled again. He looks for his daughter to tell her, but she does not want to relate to him. Randy's life goes downhill when he cannot even get company nor love from his favorite stripper and only "friend". So he returns to wrestling, the only good thing he does, no matter what are the consequences.

Aronofsky's look at the decadent life of an old school wrestler who is trying to revive his old illustrious career. Visually is the simplest of his films (no cool shots and no fast editing), but is a closer look to a simple story of having to live with your circumstances, having to endure the rough life of being alone and not being able to at least do what you love. A good element of the direction is that at first, you don't get to see Randy's face (a lot of back shots of Rourke's big body and long blond hair) for the sake of good storytelling. The emotions of decadence and pain are well presented with the camera shots of dirty places, the quiet trailer home, the dressing rooms and the strip clubs (as in Requiem for a dream when you feel that emotion of sickness, pain and decadence all in once).

Rourke's role is very well-done as he was himself a wrestler for a couple of time and the looks are there. Tomei's performance as the stripper who feels old for the job (the same as Randy) but still is doing it because is her only income, is greatly performed as well. But the important thing about everything is the story itself and the emotions it provokes as you watch it (the pain in the hardcore match, the sadness in Randy's attempts to get back his daughter and the pity for that wrestler who in the outside world can't make it). Great film overall, unconventional but very good.

Mickey Rourke won the Golden Globe and Bafta for Best Actor and Aronofsky won the Golden Lion in the Venice Film Festival. Rourke and Tomei are nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.