A truly perfect film

Rating: 10/10 (3 March 2009)

The Wrestler is an extraordinary film at the same time it marks the transition of director Darren Aronofsky to a different style than the one of his previous movies.The Wrestler is a more accessible film than Aronofsky's previous movies.Pi,Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain were very unusual movies while The Wrestler is more "normal".But this very talented director has made a brilliant work even at a style which is different than the one he is accustomed to.This is a magnificent movie which will stay with the spectator for a long time (well,that's what happened in my case).Basically,The Wrestler repeats the formula from Rocky (or,more precisely,from Rocky Balboa).But putting the main character in the wrestling world makes the story more credible and less archetypal.The down at heel hero who tries to recover his previous glory has been used on many movies; but in The Wrestler,that story feels fresh,unpredictable and absolutely realistic because of some innovative angles the screenplay has.Many people consider The Wrestler as the artistic rebirth of Mickey Rourke,which makes me very happy,although we do not have to underrate his solid works on supporting roles in movies like Domino,Spun and the brilliant Sin City.But the last time we had seen Rourke in a leading role was in 1992,in the movie White Sands.His performance in The Wrestler is monumental and it also helps the fact that Rourke had a period of glory for then living in the shadows for a long time,something which is related to his character.Marisa Tomei also shines on her character because she is completely natural on her role.Evan Rachel Wood also brings an excellent performance because she shows solid range and adequate deepness.Aronofsky's direction is perfect.The style he found to tell the story was completely appropriate,he could obtain magnificent performances from his cast and the scenes of wrestling fights are very well filmed.The screenplay is amazing,not only because it is very well crafted and because it presents a perfect development of the characters,but also because I admired the way in which it shows the wrestling world.For one sight,it accepts the falseness from that sport but for the other sight,it shows the tremendous training the wrestlers have to do,which requires enormous effort.And I also liked the ending very much.I think it should not be taken on a literal way,but as an analogy of the emotional search of the main character.I will not say any more because I would ruin the movie to the reader.The Wrestler is a magnificent and absolutely fascinating movie which shows once more,why Aronofsky is one of the most interesting contemporary directors.This is a great cinematographic experience which deserves all the acclamation it has received.Besides,who cares if Rourke did not win the Oscar ? What it matters is that this excellent actor made an extraordinary work,at the same time he recovered the dignity as an actor many people considered it was lost...and that means much more than a whimsical trophy which has a very doubtful credibility.