Heart Wrenching!

Rating: 9/10 (26 January 2009)

Darren Afronosky's film on drug addiction - Requiem for A Dream happens to be one of my favorite films and after hearing so much of appreciation for his new film  The Wrestler, I took the plunge and saw it. After having watched it, I can easily say that 'The Wrestler' is one of the finest films I have ever seen! It gave me an inside perspective on the wrestling world, one that made me realize that what we call fake could be the only real thing in these wrestler's lives. The beauty of 'The Wrestler' is that it'll appeal to not only the niche audience of wrestling fans but also the general cine goers with no interest in wrestling.
The Wrestler makes for a fantastic and fascinating character study. The fictional character of Randy 'The Ram' has achieved the pinnacle of fame and success as a wrestler in the 1980s but loses it all and fades into the oblivion. Now, he lives all alone in a trailer park, is poor both materialistically and in terms of relationships. Then Randy despite his fading health, decides to make a big comeback after 20 long years and resurrect his career. The conundrum this character faces of deciding which place he truly belongs  the wrestling world where the fans cheer and shout when he jumps from the top of the ring or the actual world where he lives in the wilderness and is just a middle aged man going through financial and emotional crisis, makes for the rest of the plot.
The Wrestler shows you the de-glamorized and behind the rings footage of what actually happens in the wrestling world - of how fights are choreographed and the hazards these athletes take. Essentially, the plot can be divided into three parts  Randy's comeback, the stripper played by Marisa Tomei whom Randy visits as a customer but develops feelings for, and his daughter with whom he tries to mend his broken relationship. The turmoil that the protagonist goes through in these three areas of his life truly shakes you. All along you feel and are moved by the entire range of emotions of this character, be it his frustrations, regret, anger, anguish or cynicism. The screenplay is filled with so many deeply moving moments that bring out the tears in your eyes.
Mickey Rourke, the boxer turned actor who plays Andy is pretty much at home playing the tough wrestler and does a great job at that. But what surprises is you is his perfection and brilliance in the scenes where he shows or expresses his emotions. The scene where he confesses his regret to his daughter makes you dig inside your pocket for that handkerchief! It is a phenomenal performance by Mickey Rourke and it would be criminal on the part of the Academy to deny him an Oscar for the 'Best Performance in a leading role.' Other highly noteworthy performances are of Marisa Tomei who plays the stripper and Randy's daughter played by Rachel Wood, who is with her raw emotions in the scene where her father fails to turn up for the dinner he promised they'd take together, deeply impacts you.
Darren Afronosky has got it all right 'The Wrestler'. It is grounded, true to life tale and one of the best, if not the best movies of 2008. And yes I reiterate that there's no one more deserving than Mickey Rourke for the best actor Oscar this year. Its a knock out performance!