"Use my leg"

The Wrestler 29/05/12

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Writer: Robert D. Seigel

2008

           

            This film is one of my most memorable moments in the cinema. The first Aronofsky film I saw on the big screen and a film that has both spectacle and emotion in amounts that complement each other. I waited a long time to have a rematch with it on DVD and this time I wanted to work out why it had left a mark.

           

            Aronofsky begins by reminding us of the period in the 1980’s that was one of the high points for professional wrestling, which was accompanied by a specific brand of rock and roll. So, as we hear AC/DC play, old posters and match commentary let us know that Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson was a very big deal in his day. Plenty of real life wrestlers would fit this description, but what we didn’t see was what happened when they got slow and started to age, and as we see Micky Rourke (admittedly in better shape than most viewers) slumped in a child’s chair, coughing after wrestling in a school for a very small fee, we know that he is not the man he was.

            Aronofsky continues to keep Rourke’s back to us as he quietly signs autographs. He seems almost ashamed of how his career has fallen. He is dressed hidden away in a black coat (bearing scars of its own), with his hair tied, and seems restrained. He cannot afford rent on his trailer so sleeps in his car. However the neighbourhood kids still seem to idolize him, and this makes him come alive. Despite having to strap his body together and being a little shaky in his first match in the film, when Aronofsky shows him centre frame, top rope, hair free and performing his signature Ram Jam, he is a man empowered and proud. We also see how he will suffer for his passion as he cuts himself with a razor to convince the crowd of a hit. Now we know who he was, who he is, and what wrestling can make him feel like. We also know what wrestling can make him do to his self.

            At no point does Aronofsky seem to force the character on us. We just watch him in a documentary style. There is no sense of the operatic like in Raging Bull (1980), camera work is handheld and sound is diegetic. The Ram’s life does not feel scripted, he just does what he does and we watch, and plot points come through conversation, the main one being a proposed 20^th anniversary re-match with The Ayatollah. This is dangerous for our protagonist purely because it gives him hope.

            We are introduced to Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) who works at a strip club. With unappreciated chivalry The Ram scares away some abusive customers; Cassidy could have used the money. Tomei transformed somewhat for this role, with fake tattoos and piercings, unafraid to act with all of her body she shows that Cassidy has her own form of scars while The Ram shows off his. She compares him to Jesus, the “Sacrificial Ram”. He tips her well.

We then see Rourke go through a strange training montage involving pumping iron, getting his hair dyed, drinking protein shakes and getting a fake tan. Oh and on top of this he buys steroids and tests items in a DIY shop for their suitability in a hardcore match. In said hardcore match there is barbed wire, staple guns, glass, tables to fall through, and worst of all Necro Butcher (a real life hardcore wrestler who looks like he fell in red paint most matches). The Ram survives, barely, and then proceeds to have a heart attack in the locker room.

 He has tried to go the extra mile in preparation for the recreation of his greatest moment with The Ayatollah and his body has told him enough is enough. On doctor’s orders he stops training, cancels the match and retires. He is lonely and broken, wrestling vicariously on video games. Cassidy seems to be his only ‘friend’ but at her suggestion he attempts to reconnect with his daughter. To keep paying rent he must take on a deli counter position at a supermarket. It is his new ring to step in to (note Aronofsky slipping in crowd noises as Rourke walks through the back corridors to the counter) and with his hairnet as protection he begins to bring showmanship to his job. Things could be picking up; he and his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) are talking again as well as he and Cassidy getting closer (bonding through their love of the 80’s and hatred of Kurt Cobain).

However this is no love story. Cleverly Cassidy is designed as a mirror for The Ram. She performs on a stage instead of a ring, and is a good mother who wants to go back to her old name Pam, whereas he cannot bear to be called by his, and again misses his chance for redemption after sleeping through a meet up with his daughter after enjoying a few benefits of fame. He loves to be that person, is obsessed and addicted to the crowd cheering as all of Aronofsky’s characters are obsessed by something. This film then poses the ultimate question for such a man: is he to “live hard and play hard and burn the candle at both ends” or hold out for something longer lasting. I am unsure if the route that The Ram chooses is the easy one or the hard one, but watching him make it is the reason this film leaves a mark.

"Stop washing things!"

Another Earth 17/05/12

Director: Mike Cahill

Writers: Mike Cahill, Brit Marling

2011

            The concept for this film (a planet that looks to be capable of supporting life appearing and imposing on the lives of characters on Earth) reminded me of Melancholia(2011), a film which I was very much looking forward to but was let down by. It is one of those curious yet common instances of films with a shared or similar premise being released close together. Often when this happens one is better received than the other, and in this case Another Earth made less of an impact (Melancholia was directed by Lars Von Trier and that was certainly a factor). However due to Melancholia becoming meh-lancolia (sorry) Another Earth was my only hope for this galactic concept to live up to its potential.

            Like Von Trier’s film writers Cahill and Marling made the wise choice of sticking to a couple of linked characters as vehicles for experiencing the planetary phenomenon. While casting a wide net over society may work in some films such as Deep Impact (1998) I think that should be saved for blockbusters. The characters are Rhoda (Brit Marling) and John (William Mapother) who are connected by an accident. Both act very well and I will be looking out for more of their work The accident occurred on the night that the mystery planet was discovered, John lost his family and Rhoda lost her freedom; she was sent to prison for causing the accident. Fast forward 4 years and Rhoda is released, tracks down John (after an artfully shot suicide attempt by freezing to death), and starts to clean his house with him unaware of who she is.

            That is a set up for a very interesting film, potential character conflict that could carry a film by itself with the backdrop of the mystery planet. There is some decent writing, even if it is a little obvious, for example post suicide attempt (ok cool subtext, she wants to stop feeling and be numb) we have a scene where Rhoda tells John she doesn’t mind the cold. OK fine, but why point out the subtext to the audience after the fact? The same thing happens concerning Rhoda’s choice to clean for a living and clean John’s house, pretty obvious what symbolism is pointing to, but they resort to dialogue to point it out in an unconnected scene. Perhaps I was being picky I thought, and my hope was still strong for a quality film.

            I admired how, when dealing with a high concept story (by Mike Cahill), Mike Cahill and his cinematographer....oh that’s Mike Cahill too....erm, made the choice to use camerawork that moves around and keeps us in the real world. This also serves to offset the cold, wintery tone of most of the scenes, and take us just far away from some of the Ingmar Begman worthy misery that the tone isn’t oppressive. That cause is also served by the sharp and sometimes invasive editing (well it’s only done by Mike bloody Cahill!) which when combined with handheld camerawork would usually annoy me and take me out of the story, but juxtaposed as I mentioned with themes of depression and regret it works.

            Other features I admired which create the tone mentioned above are a score that never seems to go away, but rises at opportune moments as good film scores should to highlight a particular emotion, as well as lighting which is well tempered and precise to such a degree of consistency (even when using natural light) that I would happily watch the film again just for that. Unfortunately I can’t give Mike Cahill direct credit for these features as he delegated, but well done anyway. Perhaps the most important tool used in this film is TV and radio sound bites which discuss the possibilities of what the planet may mean for Earth, which becomes known as Earth 1 when we learn that the mystery planet is a mirror of our own. Well the reason that these sound bites stood out to me is they did everything that I wanted the film as a whole to do, and frankly what I wanted Melancholia to do more of; explore the amazing concept! I understand the need to centre the story on a few choice characters but why so much? Yes Rhoda and John’s situation is interesting, but does it warrant staying in one town? On one planet? That is why I found radios spouting philosophy and Avatar (2009) references catching more of my attention than an undeniably interesting personal story.

            Of course the mirror Earth situation does affect Rhoda and John, but for most of the film the only effect is that Rhoda wants to go and meet herself and John wants to stay put. The end result is that two storylines/concepts that would fare well being explored in different films are both dragged down by the other. This combined with a few clumsy lines of dialogue undid much of the great work here by Cahill and his team (of other Mike Cahills). While there is a twist or two worth watching to the end for it could have been much more impressive if they occurred before mundane plot developments two thirds of the way through. I liked this film, and I liked Melancholia...but they fell short.