Aronofsky’s Obsessive Cinema
I’ve always enjoyed Darren Aronofsky’s films. I think the first one I saw was The Wrestler, shortly followed by Black Swan. In The Wrestler, Randy Robinson (Mickey Rourke) struggles to come to terms with his career’s end while Black Swan sees Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) pursue perfection as a ballerina. In both films, the characters obsess over their crafts and, in the end, are destroyed by them. Randy reenters the wrestling ring in spite of the danger to his health while Nina achieves a perfect performance at the expense of her life and sanity. Aronofsky has dubbed the pair of films a meditation on the lowest and highest artistic disciplines. What he neglects to mention, however, is that this pair of films, indeed all of his films, are a meditation on his own obsessive pursuit of cinematic perfection.
Now, in this attempt to find the unifying theme of Aronofsky’s oeuvre, I will refrain from commenting on films I have not seen. So, for fans of Pi and The Fountain, my sincere apologies. But, if we examine the central themes of Requiem for a Dream, Noah, and The Whale alongside the aforementioned filmic pair, a clear pattern emerges. Indeed, these three films confront the catastrophic consequences of obsessive behavior whether it be drug addiction, human sin, or binge-eating, respectively. Aronofsky’s vision reaches its apotheosis, however, in his most autobiographical film-to-date: mother!.
In this biblical-allegory-meets-body-horror film, a poet (Javier Bardem) and a young woman (Jennifer Lawrence) welcome guests to their country idyll only for things to go horribly wrong. The poet stands in for God and the young woman for Mother Earth while their first two guests represent Adam (Ed Harris) and Eve (Michelle Pfeiffer). In an act of foolishness and/or ambition, Aronofsky charts this allegory from “Genesis” to “Revelation.” Aronofsky’s cleverness aside, what really impressed me about this film was the extent to which the director was willing to include autobiographical notes from his own life. The poet is often so consumed with his creative work that he fails to give the care and attention to the young woman which she deserves. In a case of art imitating life, Lawrence is actually Aronofsky’s former partner. Could this film be a mea culpa to Lawrence for the director’s own prioritizing of creativity over intimacy?
My own favorite moment from an Aronofsky film has to be the poignant ending scene to The Wrestler. Against medical advice and the wishes of his friend/girlfriend Cassidy (Marisa Tomei), Randy returns to the ring after declaring that it is the only place he has ever belonged. Where do you belong? And how much are you willing to sacrifice for it? These are the questions Aronofsky forces us to confront.
