A few months ago, the prospect of a Darren Aronofsky wrestling picture would have seemed as unlikely to me as a G-rated David Lynch movie. Despite winning a competition berth in Venice and being selected as the Closing Night film at the New York Film Festival, I was skeptical that it might work. But with yesterday’s announcement that The Wrestler won Venice’s Golden Lion for Best Film, I’ve become a believer.

What I’m happiest about here is that the film is another important step in the ongoing comeback of Mickey Rourke, the gifted but troubled 80s-era leading man who slipped into self-parody during the early nineties, only to re-emerge recently as a fascinating character actor. The first sign of this came in scene-stealing work in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rainmaker and Sean Penn’s The Pledge, followed by more substantial roles in movies like Sin City. But The Wrestler marks his first lead role in years, and it’s good to see that he’s still able to carry a movie on his shoulders.

Here’s a short video I found on YouTube about the movie:



Complete Venice Awards:

Golden Lion for Best Film: The Wrestler directed by Darren Aronofsky
Silver Lion for Best Director: Aleksey German Jr. for Paper Soldier
Special Jury Prize: Teza directed by Haile Gerima
Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Silvio Orlando for Il Papa di Giovanna
Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Dominique Blanc for L’autre
Marcello Mastroianni Prize for Best Young Actor or Actress: Jennifer Lawrence for The Burning Plain
Osella for Best Cinematography: Paper Soldier (Alisher Khamidhodjaev and Maxim Drozdov)
Osella for Best Screenplay: Teza (Haile Gerima)
Special Lion for Overall Work: Werner Schroeter, “for his uncompromising and relentlessly innovative work over a period of 40 years.”
Luigi Di Laurentiis Award for Debut Film: Pranzo di Farragosto, directed by Gianni Di Gregorio