An irrefutable masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (26 February 2020)

There are several films I come back to watch when I feel down and out--"The Wrestler" is one of them. The story follows Randy "The Ram" Robinson (played by the legendary Mickey Rourke) a wrestler whose past his prime and is barely keeping his feet together. He fights in small town arenas, gets juiced up on steroids, works at a supermarket in the daytime, and is constantly locked out of his trailer home because he's short in cash. He also has some feelings for Cassidy (played brilliantly by Marisa Tomei)-a stripper who in someways parallels Randy's life. Both characters are like able despite their downsides but unlike "Rocky "where everything despite the odds goes fairly well, "The Wrestler" constantly pins you down with reality. After a particularly brutal and graphic match, Randy suffers a heart attack which almost kills him. Feeling he's past his physical limitation, Randy retires from Wrestling and tries to make amends with his estranged daughter Stephanie (played by Evan Rachel Wood). With the help from Cassidy, Ram is able to reconcile with his daughter. At the same time, Randy reveals his feelings for Cassidy in part to thank her for helping him reconcile with his daughter. Cassidy, despite having mutual feelings rejects Randy's advances in trying to maintain her professionalism. This angers Randy and he promptly goes out to party-eventually causing him to miss his dinner with his daughter. This irreparably breaks up his relationship with his daughter, and things begin to fall apart again. After being somewhat heckled by a customer at a deli counter he worked at, Randy quits his day job and goes back up to the ring to wrestle. Cassidy also promptly quits her job to chase after Randy to have him stop wrestling. She reveals her true feelings, but that doesn't stop Randy from going to the ring. After a heartwarming speech, Randy wrestles but his heart can't take the beatings like before. In a fatal move, Randy leaps from the corner, performing his signature move, the Ram Jam and the film freezes to the credits where Bruce Springsteen's amazing title song plays along. Everything from the performances, the camerawork, the editing, the music, and most importantly the direction is all top notch. While this is unofficially considered a companion piece to "Black Swan"-I personally think this film conveys a greater message which is that there's always a place where people belong no matter how brutal and hard it can be to live life. This is a masterpiece.