The best film of 2008

Rating: Null/10 (25 January 2009)

Randy the Ram is a famous wrestler who has been involved in the sport of professional wrestling for several decades. Wrestling has taken it's toll on his body. With the combination of injury, drug use, and over-exertion, Randy's body has deteriorated over the years to the point where he can no longer wrestle according to the doctor's orders. Left with nothing to do, Randy decides to get his work hours extended at the local deli, tries to get closer to his best friend, Cassidy, who is a stripper, and decides to try and repair his bad relationship with his daughter, Stephanie. However, living in the real world may be too daunting a task for Randy.
Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler is an uncompromising vision of life. We don't just see the downfall of Randy as much as we witness it. We see him backstage with his wrestling partners and we see them as very close and more comfortable with each other and knowledgeable of each other's bodies and their fighting styles. Then we see Randy and Cassidy and we see the juxtaposing of the wrestling lifestyle and the stripper lifestyle and we see how strangely similar they are. They both are entertainers and their bodies are the entertainment. We see Randy work at the deli and he has the same high energy and forceful nature that he does in the ring. We see Randy with his daughter and what we see looks like a bad train wreck. We don't see any relation, any chemistry, or anything in common with these two people. These are two completely different people. Randy is a mass of muscles, greasy hair, and large clothes. Stephanie is beautiful, young, smart, and it is suggested that she is a homosexual.
As the film goes along, we see all these common elements of Randy's life completely fall apart. We slowly come to the realization that he needs to wrestle in order for him to be able to manage his life. Randy is an entertainer and he was born to entertain. Unlike Cassidy, however, he goes to extreme lengths to entertain. He allows his body to be ripped to shreds. As part of the world of wrestling, he must hide razor blades in his wrist straps in order for him to take it out and slash his face. We see him get nearly ripped open with barbed wire on one scene. The gory scenes in The Wrestler could rival the endless scenes of mutilation in The Passion of the Christ, which is even referenced in one scene by the Cassidy character.
The second half of the film is extremely intense in it's unfolding of events. While we know that Randy is not able to function that well outside of wrestling, his lack of order, structure, and discipline soon takes an even bigger toll on him than the injuries he gets in the ring. His fall from grace is difficult to watch in it's honesty and the film is unsparing in it's distraught nature. There is no time for the audience to breathe. We witness the battle and, when it ends, we aren't fully sure if it was worth it. It doesn't matter though, because what we saw was exactly what a good film should be.
The Wrestler is a fascinating and harrowing piece of film-making. Micky Rourke practically plays himself and it is a fearless piece of acting. Marisa Tomei and Even Rachel Wood both come off just as strong. The film is so fascinating to watch. We feel privileged to see this life that is so different from our own. We are shown sides of people that we would never never see, not even if they were our brothers or sisters. The attention to detail and the gritty camera-work only add to the authentic feel. The soundtrack is incredibly memorable and fits so well with the character of Randy.
All of these elements lead up to an ending that, I think, is one of the year's best. While many people will hate the ending to this film, many will also love it. It's the kind of ending that rings so true and has so much power in it's hard hitting nature. I felt happier at the end of this film than I did to the ending of any big budget Hollywood Blockbuster. The Wrestler is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece and it is the best film of 2008.