21 years ago, Darren Aronofsky became known as the 'indie movie prodigy' with 'Pi'. Although not as productive as other directors, we can say that all the productions in his discography were praised.
Aronofsky, who boldly reveals every state of human being in his films, and handles the themes of addiction and obsession in a shocking way, is a director who has also won the admiration of his master Martin Scorsese. It is strange that; he never made a bad or below-average movie. Every production with his signature must be seen.
Darren Aronofsky was born in 1969 in Brooklyn, New York, to teacher parents Charlotte and Abraham Aronofsky.
He studied Nature and Biology in Kenya in 1985 and worked as a field biologist in Alaska in 1986. Stating that the education he received about nature changed his perspective on life, Aronofsky entered Harvard University in 1987 and started his education in social anthropology and cinema.
While attending Harvard, he befriended promising successful animators Dan Schrecker and Sean Gullette, who would later star in Aronofsky's debut film, Pi. Aronofsky, whose interest in films and cinema increased more, included Akira Kurosawa, Roman Polanski, Terry Gilliam, Shinya Tsukamoto, Hubert Selby Jr. Including Spike Lee and Jim Jarmusch.
Aronofsky's first movie, Pi (also known as π), was shot in November 1997. The film was funded by a donation of $100 each from friends and family donated. In response, Aronofsky promised to pay $150 each if the film made money, and said that if the film lost money, at least their name would appear on the screen. Aronofsky shot the movie with a budget of $60,000. Pi premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Best Director award.
Aronofsky describes his rise in cinema as Hubert Selby Jr. He followed it up with Requiem for a Dream, the film adaptation of his novel of the same name. After Pi's financial success, he was able to cast Hollywood stars, including Ellen Burstyn and Jared Leto. The film took a year to make and was released in October 2000. The film was nominated for two Independent Spirits awards for Best Actress and Cinematography, and Ellen Burstyn won the award in its category. The soundtrack composed by Clint Mansell was also well-received by film critics and audiences alike. The duo got along well and collaborated in every film of Aronofsky. Aronofsky was awarded the PRISM Award from the National Moral Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for portraying drug abuse in detail and with facts in the film.
Top-notch movies
Noah
This movie tells the story of Noah's Ark, one of Darren Aronofsky's obsessions. This is a movie that tells a story in the Bible as if it had nothing to do with the Bible.
In the movie, where we watch Academy Award winner Russell Crowe as Noah, Crowe is accompanied by names such as Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, and Anthony Hopkins. In addition to the epic noon, the film also contains fantasy elements.
In 2014, when it was released, it made $125 million at the box office.
Black Swan
In Darren Aronofsky's film about a ballerina's body fright, we see the lead actress Natalie Portman as a talented dancer driven to physical and mental extremes while pursuing artistic supremacy. So as a classic Aronofsky hero: she is smart, tough, and determined to surpass her body!
The story of the film revolves around the ballet Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Never before had the audience watched so brutally and clearly the outrageous physical demands of a ballet group.
Aronofsky literally transforms Portman into the Black Swan. He usually keeps the camera close to Portman. He allows us to see every detail about her. Portman's performance, which helped her win the Best Actress Oscar, was the best of her career. There are no words for Aronofsky's technical mastery. He has demonstrated that he is adept at guiding his actors through physically/psychologically dangerous roles. Of course, this requires a great deal of trust between the director and the actor.
After this movie, Hollywood's best actors began to line up to work with Darren Aronofsky.
The Wrestler
After spending 6 years of his life making his first studio-sponsored film, 'The Source', Darren Aronofsky told the story of a professional wrestler (Mickey Rourke), whose body and soul could not bear to be beaten any further.
The blood in the movie is real, the broken bones are real, and the wire is stapled to the head in a scene is real...
Champion has a special place in Darren Aronofsky's discography. Even when the hero gets his hand in a deli slicer, we don't feel anything extraordinary like in 'Pi' or 'Requiem'.
Although Mickey Rourke's anti-character created his misery, we understand him.
It's not like Darren Aronofsky, but he's making a genuinely humanistic gesture in this movie. An amazing production!