“You have to be memorable if you want people to be thinking about it thirty seconds after it happens,” auteur extraordinaire Darren Aronofsky told Indiewire over a decade ago. “I don’t think it matters, the reaction, as long as they’re reacting.” It’s this enduring don’t-give-a-shit mindset that explains how the director has become one of the most ambitious and audience-dividing filmmakers working in mainstream Hollywood today.
In an era when every other major release is a focus-grouped remake, sequel or universe-expanding chapter that requires a ridiculous amount of prior knowledge to fully appreciate, Aronofsky’s work is always refreshingly singular. Even when tackling stories told countless times before – as in his 2014, Russell Crowe-starring biblical epic Noah – the New York filmmaker still manages to leave you astounded, wordlessly mouthing “WTF.”
Aronofsky’s educational background – he studied animal behaviour in Kenya before graduating from Harvard with a degree in social anthropology – is undoubtedly unconventional for a filmmaker, and has no doubt informed his uncanny ability to get under the skin of viewers. But you can also find traces of his cinematic flair in the surreal fever dreams of Terry Gilliam or twisted psychological horrors of David Lynch.
Sparking both a wave of accusations pertaining to the film’s fatphobia and a long-overdue Brendan Fraser renaissance (a Brendanaissance, if you will), The Whale proves that nearly 25 years into his career, Aronofsky remains as controversial as ever. If you haven’t yet delved into his quality-over-quantity filmography, then here’s a timely beginner’s guide.
The entry point is… The Wrestler (2008)
Entirely free of Aronofsky’s usual stylistic flourishes and with a narrative that doesn’t require multiple rewatches to understand, The Wrestler is easily the most straight-forward entry in the Oscar nominee’s oeuvre. In one of the decade’s most remarkable comeback performances, Mickey Rourke draws upon his own perceived has-been status to play a world-weary, trailer-park dwelling, supermarket employee who can’t resist the lure of the sport he once reigned — no matter the detriment to his family, relationships and even his own life. An equally knockout turn from Marisa Tomei, as Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson’s stripper love interest, further proved Aronofsky’s chops as an actor’s director as much as an auteur.
Necessary viewing… Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Requiem for a Dream ends with all four central characters curled up in the foetal position, a stance you may also find yourself assuming, having watched the intensely harrowing adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr.’s 1978 novel. Aronofsky put his actors through the emotional wringer during the shoot: Ellen Burstyn, who plays Sara, a widowed couch potato hooked on amphetamines, even claimed it was a more arduous experience than filming The Exorcist. Thankfully, all of the hardship paid off. Alongside brilliantly committed performances — even Scary Movie goofball Marlon Wayans convinces — Aronofsky’s now-trademark use of split screens, time-lapse photography and hallucinogenic visuals also helped capture the cycle of dependency more authentically than any other Hollywood drug tale.
The one everyone’s seen is… Black Swan (2010)
Aronofsky finally caught the Academy’s voting panel’s attention with his fifth feature, a gloriously deranged operatic thriller which serves as the missing link between The Red Shoes and Rosemary’s Baby. While its director had to settle for a nomination, leading lady Natalie Portman got to make an Oscars acceptance speech, thanks to her dedicated turn as a professional New York ballerina whose obsessive quest for perfection pushes her to the brink of insanity. Described by Aronofsky himself as a companion piece to The Wrestler, Black Swan’s palpable blood, sweat and tears shows how the worlds of piledrivers and pliés aren’t too far apart.
The underappreciated gem is… The Fountain (2006)
Brad Pitt’s last-minute withdrawal may have immediately halved The Fountain’s $70 million budget but it didn’t impact Aronofsky’s sense of grandeur. Spanning 1000 years, three parallel love stories and more metaphysical layers than Aristotle could shake a stick at, the spiritual sci-fi romance is a head-scratching, sense-assaulting watch which leans into the director’s natural impulses further than anything else in his filmography.
Essentially a meditation on the universal fear of death, The Fountain was critically mauled on its 2006 release. But from its delirious special effects and intriguing Rubik’s Cube-style plot to impressive triple-duty performances from Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz (the director’s then-fiancée), there’s still plenty to admire about a film which so emphatically shoots for the stars.
The deep cut is… Pi (1998)
Shot on a shoestring budget accrued from generous friends and family, Aronofsky’s remarkably uncompromising debut both wowed and bewildered the Sundance crowd in equal measure in 1998, launching the entirely unknown onto Hollywood’s radar in the process. Drenched in an impending y2k-style doom, the monochromatic Pi centres on a mathematician who risks his sanity to uncover the truth about a 216-digit number which may or may not be conducive to everything from debilitating headaches to the welcoming of the Messiah. Despite a slim 84-minute running time, this intellectual workout is still packed with more ideas than most directors manage to have in an entire career.