A Fight for Redemption and a Struggle to Belong: "The Wrestler"

This is part of a recurring series in which I review some of my all-time favorite movies.

There is something undeniably life-affirming about The Wrestler, Darren Aronofsky's stunning knockout about an aging wrestler's struggle to rebuild his life after a litany of professional and personal setbacks. I continue to watch The Wrestler with increasing regularity, and after each viewing I emerge profoundly moved. There is a little part of all of us in Randy "The Ram" Robinson, one of the most authentic and compelling characters ever put on screen. Deeply flawed but bracingly human, Randy "The Ram" is a man fighting to reconcile with his daughter and to achieve belonging in a violent profession. He is a man who bears deep emotional and physical scars, and the viewer becomes thoroughly invested in his struggle. You can't help but passionately root for Randy "The Ram", and this connection between viewer and cinema protagonist makes The Wrestler a magnificent triumph.

On paper, The Wrestler seems to have the trappings of a conventional comeback story. But the beauty of Robert Siegel's breathtaking screenplay is that it stays heartbreakingly real to the very end, avoiding the contrived pratfalls of so many other Hollywood redemption stories. Every frame of this film is grounded in the sorrows and triumphs of real life. And the ending is brilliant precisely because it is not tidy or feel-good, but rather messy and challenging, just like life itself. Furthermore, the directorial vision of Darren Aronofsky is assured and focused. Aronosfky, who also directed last year's amazing Black Swan, is a master at exposing the bare emotions of reality against the backdrop of personal tumult. He is one of the world's finest filmmakers.

Even if the rest of the film was flawed, The Wrestler would still be worth watching for the masterful performances. Mickey Rourke, whose own life shares many parallels with Randy "The Ram", gives the performance of a lifetime in the lead role, a performance that should have won him an Oscar. Rourke tackles an extraordinarily demanding role with astonishing fearlessness. Simply put, it is one of the greatest pieces of acting I have ever seen. Marisa Tomei matches Rourke every step of the way with a performance of devastating vulnerability and raw emotion. Like Rourke, Tomei takes an enormously challenging role and delivers a tour-de-force. Evan Rachel Wood is also outstanding as the daughter with whom Randy "The Ram" is trying to reconcile. The scene between Mickey Rourke and Evan Rachel Wood that takes place on the Asbury Park boardwalk is, simply put, perfect.

The Wrestler is my favorite film of the last decade, and one of my favorite films, period. The Wrestler is the type of film that transcends the boundaries of movies, a movie that moves beyond mere entertainment. The Wrestler is a testament to the soothing power of cinema.