Saw The Wrestler following a Q&A with the director Darren Aronofsky this week. I enjoyed the film - like many others - but, what made it authentic for me besides Mickey Rourke was the filmmaking. Aronofsky made the conscious decision to film documentary-style using cinema verite, which effectively revealed more in each character, including personal flaws and strengths. In the Q&A, I learned that the film cost six million to make and that the filmmakers only hope of fulfilling production was foreign money as no one in the U.S. was interested in supporting a film with Mickey Rourke. Fast forward years later and the role no one but Aronfosky wanted him to play is getting Oscar buzz and the leading roles are pouring in. I love comeback stories like this - it’s a movie in itself. Aronofsky said one other thing that struck a chord and that was that going into the process he had no intension of producing a film that glorified wrestling. “We were trying to be honest of what we found and what we found was more richer than what we perceived.” That’s a direction I hope to emulate some day.
Pop-upView Separately

Saw The Wrestler following a Q&A with the director Darren Aronofsky this week.

I enjoyed the film - like many others - but, what made it authentic for me besides Mickey Rourke was the filmmaking. Aronofsky made the conscious decision to film documentary-style using cinema verite, which effectively revealed more in each character, including personal flaws and strengths.

In the Q&A, I learned that the film cost six million to make and that the filmmakers only hope of fulfilling production was foreign money as no one in the U.S. was interested in supporting a film with Mickey Rourke. Fast forward years later and the role no one but Aronfosky wanted him to play is getting Oscar buzz and the leading roles are pouring in. I love comeback stories like this - it’s a movie in itself.

Aronofsky said one other thing that struck a chord and that was that going into the process he had no intension of producing a film that glorified wrestling.

“We were trying to be honest of what we found and what we found was more richer than what we perceived.”

That’s a direction I hope to emulate some day.

2 Notes/ Hide

  1. brieflynoted posted this