Its a cliche... but this really is a must see movie!

Rating: 9/10 (19 April 2020)

The Wrestler is a really thoughtful and well considered film. The plot is relatively simple and the film is all the better for it. Rourke plays a wrestler whose glory days are far behind him, now trying to earn a living working in a supermarket on weekdays and back in the ring in less than glamourous venues on the weekends.
I always find the world of wrestling fascinating, and The Wrestler shows us behind the curtain in a way I haven't seen in other films before. The physical toil that these men put themselves through is laid bare in a gruesome and devastating fashion, Aronofsky doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of wrestling at all. This is not to say the film is gratuitous at all. Demonstrating this reality is so crucial to the story as Randy would rather deal with the physical pain of wrestling than the emotional void that he would endure if he were to leave it behind.
The Wrestler is an emotional and tragic ride in many ways, with Randy trying to find a sense of purpose and belonging without wrestling, coming to terms with the man he was, is, and will be. A lot of this centres around his relationships with Marisa Tomei's Cassidy and with his estranged daughter. Both support Rourke incredibly well, but it really is his show and the Academy nomination couldn't be more deserved (I'm yet to see Milk but Penn must have been pretty spectacular to edge Rourke out). You can just see the pain in many of these interactions oozing from him, and throughout the film you get the sense that this man is carrying a huge weight on his shoulders, trying not to let himself be defeated by life. Wherever Randy turns he can neither find peace or contentment, and his struggle is so painful to watch, and his interactions with his daughter so heart breaking. He's a character that you really root for despite his flaws, and as a result the film is so engaging.
I also absolutely loved the camera work in this film. It was quite rough and gritty at times, often quite close and invasive. The only other Aronofsky film I've seen is Black Swan, and there are many similarities in the direction to that, putting character front and centre. Ultimately a lot of similarities in the films more widely as well, showing us behind the scenes of two professional performers, albeit at very different stages of their careers.
This film is one of the great sports movies, and just movies more generally, deserving all the praise it gets. Watch it, enjoy it, savour it.