School and student years
Darren was born in New York, and more specifically, in Brooklyn. His parents were school teachers. The father's name was Abe (Abraham), and the mother's name was Charlotte. The future director's father specialized in natural sciences; in addition, he was the dean of a Bushwick school.
Darren was lucky enough to study at one of the most prestigious schools in America. His parents tried to give him a good education. Many other children could only dream of attending Edward Murrow School. After graduation, Darren Aronofsky traveled for six months to Guatemala, European countries, and the Middle East. Then in 1987 he became a student at Harvard University, where he really enjoyed studying. And it’s not surprising, because there were such disciplines as animation, cinema, and anthropology. In the early 90s, he created his first movie, which became his course work. It was called “Supermarket Cleanup.” In 1991, Darren received an Academy Award for Students for this short film. A little later, at university, Aronofsky created another film called “Fortune Cookies.” This was shortly before graduation. By the way, Darren graduated with honors from the university and received a Bachelor of Arts. By this time he had already achieved some success and could well be proud of himself.
Twelve months later, Aronofsky moved to Los Angeles to attend the US Film Institute to study directing. And again, it should be noted his successful graduation work - a small film called “Protozoa”. In 1993, Aronofsky became a Master of Fine Arts.
Biography
The birthplace of one of the most controversial, but certainly talented directors, Darren Aronofsky, is multifaceted New York.
His parents cannot be called representatives of creative professions; they are teachers. It is noteworthy that the father of the future star Abraham taught chemistry and natural sciences in two places at once - a high school and a higher religious educational institution in Flatbush. Here it is necessary to clarify that the Aronofsky family are Jews who took their religion very seriously.
The future director spent his childhood in Manhattan. Interestingly, Darren himself remembers this time as moments spent on the beach in Coney Island. In addition, the director associates his childhood with the roar of planes that flew over this beach on their way to Kennedy Airport .
Parents, like real teachers, gave a lot to their son on their own. But it should be noted that in addition to this, Darren graduated from one of the best schools in the United States - Edward Murrow High School. After graduation, the young man devoted about six months to travel, touring Europe and the Middle East. Therefore, Aronofsky entered the university only in 1987.
The young man chose Harvard to obtain higher education. Here he concentrated his attention on studying the art of cinema, animation, and anthropology. Three years later, Aronofsky sat in the director’s chair for the first time and shot two short films, “Fortune Cookies” and “Supermarket Cleanup.” The latter was incredibly liked by critics, who nominated her for a student award at the American Academy of Motion Pictures.
In 1991, the future star received a diploma, it should be noted with honors, and twelve months later he decided to continue his studies. To do this, Darren goes to Los Angeles, where he becomes a student at the American Film Institute Conservatory. Here he seriously concentrates on directing, studying the history of cinema and many related sciences.
Here in Los Angeles, Aronofsky shoots his third short film “Protozoa” (1993) , which also becomes his graduation work. The painting was warmly received by the teachers and Darren received a Master of Fine Arts degree.
In 1994, Aronofsky again filmed the short film “No Time” and returned to New York. Here the director begins preparations for filming his first feature film. First of all, Darren co-authors the script with Sean Gullett and Eric Watson, then looks for funds and finally starts filming.
The result of painstaking study of all the nuances in 1997 was the film “Pi”, which collected many genres - horror, science fiction, thriller, drama, and detective. It should be noted that it was not in vain that the director labored over this project. At the Sundance Film Festival, critics raved about Pi. Moreover, in addition to several festival awards, the film managed to break into the box office. The budget of 60 thousand dollars, which was modest at that time, paid off somewhat in the end by more than 5 times!
Darren Aronofsky's next full-length work was the 2000 drama Requiem for a Dream. It’s interesting that the director himself wrote the script for it. The difficult story about drug addiction in general, and the fate of several drug addicts in particular, shook up society and found a lot of caring viewers.
Critics also did not leave the film unnoticed and awarded it a number of prestigious nominations : Oscar, Golden Globe, Saturn and the Screen Actors Guild Award. True, the picture never took any of these figurines.
In 2006, Aronofsky presented his third feature film to the audience - the fantasy drama The Fountain, starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. Complex both visually and plot-wise, the film failed at the box office, but was nominated for a number of awards, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
In 2008, Darren Aronofsky returns to Venice with his fourth film, The Wrestler. This time the film starring Mickey Rourke received the Golden Lion! In addition, the film has two Golden Globes and a British Academy Film Award.
Darren Aronofsky's fifth film, Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman, was released in 2010. The piercing drama with hints of a thriller, telling the viewer about the backstage of the ballet, was liked by the audience and collected an incredible box office - with a budget of 13 million dollars, almost 330 were earned. But that’s not all.
The film was included in the competition program of a number of prestigious film festivals, received a number of nominations , but most importantly, it won an Oscar, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Marcello Mastroianni Award, a BAFTA prize, a Golden Globe and two Saturns.
The next film by the American director, “Noah” with Russell Crowe, Anthony Hopkins and Emma Watson, shot in 2014, cannot boast of such success. However, she also has nominations for Saturn and Golden Globe. The film was also not successful at the box office and the reason for this was its religious content.
For religious reasons, the film “Noah” was even banned from showing in Indonesia, China, Pakistan, Egypt and a number of other countries.
At the moment, the latest film in Darren Aronofsky’s filmography is the drama “Mom!” 2020. Many saw in the film some allusions to a biblical theme, which became both a plus and a minus. On the one hand, the film barely paid for itself at the box office and received three nominations for the Golden Raspberry anti-award, but on the other hand, it was a contender for the Golden Lion in Venice and the Saturn in the United States.
It’s interesting that Darren Aronofsky’s personal life is closely connected with cinema. So in 2001, the director began dating actress Rachel Weisz, who in 2005 officially became his fiancée. During the same period, he filmed her in his film “The Fountain”. A year later, the couple had a son, Henry. It should be noted that the appearance of their first child did not save Darren and Rachel from separation - it happened in 2010. At the same time, the couple maintains a warm and friendly relationship.
Darren began his next serious romance with actress Jennifer Lawrence, who played the main role in his film “Mom!” As a result, the relationship quickly faded away, the couple broke up in the fall of 2017 , and the reason for this was the twenty-year age difference. After this, the director does not talk about any serious relationships.
Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
In the fall of 2020, the director appeared at the 67th San Sebastian Film Festival with Russian actress, 25-year-old star of the film “Ice” Aglaya Tarasova. As a couple, they walked the red carpet together for the film Pacified.
Directing works
A couple of years later, Darren began work on a full-length film called “Pi.” This already happened in New York. The film "Pi" by Darren Aronofsky turned out to be very unusual and original, and in 1998 it was shown at the Sundance Festival. The director, of course, was awarded, and his film grossed $3.2 million at the box office. Thus, Aronofsky was able to pay off his debts and began to think about creating the next picture.
The year 2000 was marked by the release of the director’s second full-length film, which was called “Requiem for a Dream.” It was based on the work of the same name. Ellen Burstyn, who played the mother in this film, won an Oscar, but lost the statuette to Julia Roberts. The ribbon was awarded several times and received many awards. Of course, all of Darren Aronofsky's films are good, but this one undoubtedly stands out from the rest.
Working on the next movie was not easy for the director. Initially, $70 million was set for the creation of the painting “The Fountain,” which contains elements of fantasy and philosophy. The main roles were given to Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt. But soon the shooting had to be stopped, as the latter refused to participate. Darren Aronofsky was able to resume work on the film only in 2004, he invited Hugh Jackman to star in it. As for the main female role, the director's girlfriend named Rachel Weisz was assigned to it.
The film "The Wrestler", released in 2008, can be considered Aronofsky's most successful - critics greeted it with open arms. The story of an elderly wrestler named Randy Robinson, commonly referred to as "Battering Ram", was awarded the top award at the Venice festival, the Golden Lion.
Cinema of Darren Aronofsky – films with meaning from a modern classic
Aronofsky's films are not political, but his works criticize capitalist dreams. The coveted “American Dream” seems to be an amorphous and unattainable goal. The director, who studied social anthropology at Harvard, in his films plunges into the mental world of the main characters, exploring their internal struggles and confrontations with the outside world.
Commitment to ideals is worthy of respect. But the main characters of Darren Aronofsky's films should remember that everything is good in moderation. Our selection includes exemplary and instructive works by a talented film director.
Pi / Pi (1998)
Madness often accompanies genius, and Aronofsky explores the depth of this connection in his debut feature film.
The main character of the story is Max Cohen, a lone scientist who locked himself in a room alone with his thoughts from the whole world. He suffers from severe headaches and is convinced that mathematics holds the key to everything - predictions of stock market indices, weather, the future, and even the real name of God is encoded.
Max makes progress in his research and becomes the target of persecution by outside forces seeking to obtain the magic number he has discovered. The film plays out like a thriller, but the biggest concern is not the pursuers, but Max's deteriorating mental state.
In his debut work, the director did an excellent job of exploring the theme of madness, to which he returned more than once.
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Hubert Selby Jr. This is a story about various forms of addiction and how characters indulge themselves in illusions until reality reveals its ugly face. Aronofsky and Selby showed how any of us can become addicted. To do this, you don’t need to resort to hard drugs, just obsessively desire.
There are other films about addiction, but Requiem for a Dream reaches greater depth. Harry, Marion and Tyrone are obsessed with heroin, Sarah with TV, prescription drugs and weight loss. The film doesn't cover every possibility, but any of the characters could just as easily be addicted to video games, pornography, or a smartphone.
Aronofsky tells us about the dreams of his characters and shows us the dark ending of each.
Ellen Burstyn, who played Sarah Goldfarb, was nominated for an Oscar. The soundtrack, composed by Clint Mansell, became popular after the film's release and was subsequently used in several trailers for other films, including The Lord of the Rings.
The Fountain (2006)
The Fountain unfolds three different but thematically related stories. In each of them, Tom (Hugh Jackman) tries to find a cure that will cure his wife, who is dying of a brain tumor. The hero goes on a desperate search for the Tree of Life.
This is a film about man's quest to conquer death. Although in each story Tom sets out on a journey to save his loved one, in reality he is on a journey towards himself and tries to avert death due to an overwhelming fear of it.
“The Fountain” failed at the box office, obviously because the film was more of an arthouse film. This film features a unique reflection on death and Hugh Jackman's most emotional performance yet. It's surprising that the actor was not awarded an Oscar. Although the film was made on a budget of $35 million, the special effects are better than most modern blockbusters.
The Wrestler (2008)
This film tells the story of Randy Robinson, a former wrestling star nicknamed "The Ram". He is trying to establish a life without the ring, because during one of the fights he had a heart attack and Randy is forced to retire from wrestling.
This story is not only about one character, but also about the world of wrestling as a whole, about all its intricacies and behind-the-scenes secrets. The main character was played by Mickey Rourke, which was his resurrection in the cinema and his first major role since 1991.
Randy's girlfriend is a stripper played by Marisa Tomei. Both characters are too old for their activities, both pretend to be who the public wants them to be. It turns out that the difference between wrestlers and strippers is not that great.
Randy was shot primarily with handheld cameras, which gave the film a realism not found in Aronofsky's other films.
The film ends ambiguously, leaving Randy's fate unclear. Whether he dies or not, this is a film about a man who craves attention. He strove to the only place where he truly felt that he belonged to the world. "The Wrestler" was awarded the Golden Lion at the 65th Venice Film Festival.
Black Swan (2010)
Many of us are perfectionists. This trait can be both a strength and a vulnerability. The desire for perfection often constrains a person, deprives him of the ability to act without confidence in the success of the result, and can even cause mental health problems. Black Swan shows that to improve our craft, no matter what we do, we must let go of perfection as a goal and trust the process of creation.
In this film, Natalie Portman played the role of Nina Sayers, a young ballerina following in her mother's footsteps. She has been chosen to play the role of the black swan in the upcoming production of Swan Lake, but doubts and anxiety prevent the ballerina from performing to the full extent of her abilities. The girl’s psyche cannot stand it, and obsessive visions begin to torment her.
In the hands of another director, Black Swan might have become a melodrama, but Aronofsky showed us the world of ballet, managing to create tension that few horror films can match.
The ending of the film remains open - it is unclear whether Nina really stabbed herself or it was just another hallucination of hers. According to Portman, Aronofsky used blood in the final scene in the character's lower abdomen as a symbol of her transition to adulthood. This is a logical explanation given Nina's childishness throughout the first half of the film. She suffered from the female form of Peter Pan syndrome and did not find approval from her overbearing mother. It was only when Nina disobeyed her and mentally killed that version of herself that she overcame her fear and accepted her own sensuality.
Nathalie Pore, Golden Globe and Saturn Award for Best Actress in this film.
Noah / Noah (2014)
In this film, Aronofsky retells the biblical story of Noah's Ark. We have all heard the parable about how God warns one righteous man that he will send a flood to the earth and tells him to build an ark and take on it “a pair of every creature” to save them from extinction. The director's imagination had a significant impact on the generally accepted version of this story. Noah is played by Russell Crowe and his wife is played by Jennifer Connelly. This is the second film where the actors play a married couple, the first being A Beautiful Mind.
Noah, already safe on board the ark with his family, is convinced that God hates people for their sins and wants to wipe them off the face of the earth. He tells his family that they must kill themselves. As in other Aronofsky stories, the main character here is a man obsessed with an idea.
Aronofsky's most expensive and epic film, shot with incredible visual effects, also combined a bouquet of ideas: creationism, Darwinism, evolution and man's original sin. Of course, the director managed to outrage supporters of all movements. But it’s nice that “Noah” ends on a happy note. The main character decides to change where Aronofsky's other heroes would not. Noah stops holding on to his crazy interpretation of God's message after seeing his grandchildren, he chooses mercy and decides to spare the children. Humanity gets another chance.
See also:
- 12 Coen brothers films that are definitely worth watching
- 10 award-winning Martin Scorsese films that make us better people
- 12 films of Pedro Almodóvar. A masterpiece with imperfect characters
- The 10 funniest Woody Allen films. A witty movie from the father of intellectual comedy
May 11, 2017
Has the director become a father again?
Darren Aronofsky and Natalie Portman look great together, don't they? Meanwhile, shocking rumors are circulating about them. For example, many believe that it was upon learning about Portman’s pregnancy that the director broke up with his wife, artist Rachel Wise. Fans carefully look at photos of Darren's child named Henry and Natalie's son, whose name is Aleph. The children are similar to each other in many ways, so the suspicions are well founded. It may turn out that the director has once again become a father.
"Pi"
A gifted mathematician named Max Cohen has been trying for a long time to find and decipher a list of numbers that most directly affects stock prices. It would seem that the answer will be found very soon, but why did the unfortunate man begin to be haunted by terrible nightmares? One day, Max discovers that he is being hunted by analysts and ruthless cultists who can easily finish him off in order to get the code he is looking for. It seems that a little more, and the mathematician will simply go crazy... But right now he has to make the main choice in his life. What will he prefer: orderliness or chaos, divinity or devilry, intelligence or ignorance? Will he be able to curb the crushing force that he himself awakened?
Passenger
1. Pi / Pi
Year of release:
1997
Country:
USA
Genre:
fantasy, thriller
Duration:
01:20:30
Director:
Darren Aronofsky
Starring:
Sean Gullett, Mark Margolis, Ben Shankman, Pamela Hart, Steven Perlman, Samia Shoab, Ajay Naidoo, Christine May-Ann Lao, Esfer Lao Nieves, Joanne Gordon
Description:
Talented mathematician Max Cohen has been trying for many years to find and decipher a universal digital code according to which the prices of all stock exchanges change. As he approaches the solution, the world around Max turns into a dark nightmare: he is pursued by powerful analysts from Wall Street and cruel fanatics from a secret religious sect, ready to kill in order to discover the code of the universe in their ancient sacred texts. On the brink of madness, Max must make crucial choices between order and chaos, holiness and diabolism, wisdom and ignorance, and decide whether he can cope with the powerful force that his brilliant mind has awakened.
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This is a film about the labyrinths of the mind, about a search based solely on the conclusions of the mind (even a brilliant one) and subject to the narrow influence of its logic.
2. Requiem for a Dream
Year of issue:
2000
Country:
USA
Genre:
Drama
Duration:
01:41:09
Director:
Darren Aronofsky
Cast:
Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, Christopher McDonald, Louise Lasser, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Janet Sarno, Suzanne Shepherd, Joanne Gordon
Description:
The main characters are mother and son, Sarah and Harry Goldfarb, Harry's girlfriend Marion Silver and Harry's friend Tyrone Love. The action in the film takes place over three seasons: summer, autumn and winter. During this time, the lives of the four heroes quickly and cruelly collapse.
Links:
This is a film about the weaknesses of our bodily shells, about how often they become dependent on anything, about how difficult and winding the road back to our true path is.
3. Fountain / Fountain, The
Year of issue:
2006
Country:
USA
Genre:
philosophical drama
Duration:
01:36:34
Director:
Darren Aronofsky
Cast:
Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn, Mark Margolis, Stephen McHattie, Fernando Hernandez, Cliff Curtis, Sean Patrick Thomas, Donna Murphy, Ethan Suplee
Description:
This story is about the intertwining of times and human feelings. The time period that the film covers is a thousand years: the action develops in parallel in the present time, the year 2500 and the year 1500. The main character is Thomas Creo, who is looking for the Tree of Life, the sap of which, as legends say, grants eternal life, in order to save his terminally ill wife Isabel.
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A stunning conclusion to the trilogy, dedicated to our main spiritual component.
This is a film about the divine dichotomy of death, about the fact that the extinction of life gives rise to a new, even more grandiose dance of existence, and, accordingly, about the infinity and unity of everything!
Darren Aronofsky created amazing creations filled with symbolism and hidden meanings. Each of his films of the Mind-Body-Soul trinity is a step in his personal self-development and knowledge of the world. One gets the impression that the author has impressive knowledge and strives to share it with others, with those who are looking for and able to perceive the depths of information. Therefore, I see no point in continuing to review these films, I simply suggest that you familiarize yourself with them, feel them, empathize and compare the messages contained in them with your own destiny and with your tasks, goals and lessons. And of course, draw your own conclusions and learn for yourself what made the spirit tremble in the silence of the mind!
Without a doubt, no less important in these films are the stunning soundtracks, written with the participation of the talented composer Clint Mansell. Together with the video sequence, they create a truly esoteric atmosphere and are integral parts of these films and are no less recommended for familiarization!
1. Pi / Pi
Links:
2. Requiem for a Dream
Links:
3. Fountain / Fountain, The
Links:
May the Moderator forgive me, but I will still provide links to additional materials for these films, which contain a lot of interesting information (especially regarding some interviews) for understanding the Mind-Body-Soul!
2. Requiem for a Dream
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3. Fountain / Fountain, The
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"Requiem for a Dream"
This drama, which Darren Aronofsky based on the novel by H. Selby, makes a frightening and even shocking impression on many viewers. It tells the story of a fairly short period in the lives of several people: an old unmarried woman Sarah, her son named Harry, his friend Marion and fellow accomplice Tyrone. All three young people are drug addicts who only recently tried illegal substances for the first time, but have already become dependent. This has not yet greatly affected their lives, they all still dream and plan their future, they can be considered full-fledged members of society. Marion wants to open her own boutique with fashionable clothes, and the guys... they have a lot of troubles: getting drugs, selling them, and doing all this carefully so as not to get caught. A very hectic life... What needs to be done to ensure a cloudless future for yourself? Just make a deal.
Short films
Fortune Cookie (1991)
The plot of the short comedy film revolves around a real loser who works as an ordinary salesman.
My own failures led to real despair. One fine day the main character finds himself in a Chinese restaurant. In the establishment, he has the opportunity to try delicious cookies with a lucky prediction inside.
After reading and visiting this place, all his affairs begin to improve and go uphill.
Supermarket Cleanup (1991)
There is not much information about the short comedy film by the famous director, or to be more precise, there is practically none.
The film managed to take the lead role in Gullette and win the finale. As a result, the director was awarded a national award. While filming the film, he gained tremendous experience, which undoubtedly influenced Aronofsky. His aspirations and passion for filmmaking only grew stronger.
The film “Supermarket Cleanup” turned out to be a dissertation in his career, because the filming took place while he was studying at Harvard University.
Protozoa (1993)
The plot of the scientific documentary film, which is called “Protozoa,” revolves around university students. They are studying to become biologists and are studying very interesting topics.
The main characters spend all their time studying the parts of flowers, the advantages of flowering plants, and also determine the angiosperm type, pollination and reproduction.
Students of higher educational institutions will reveal many interesting facts about plants to TV viewers.
"Wrestler"
Darren Aronofsky, whose filmography is a list of real masterpieces, pleases us with his next film. The main character of this film is Randy Robinson, who is deservedly nicknamed Ram. In the 80s, he was a famous wrestler, but only memories remained of his former glory. One day, during a fight, he had a heart attack, and doctors told him that if he continued to enter the ring, he would die. Wanting to fill his life with at least some meaning, Randy began working in a supermarket and developing a relationship with an aging stripper. But will he be able to resist the temptation to compete with his former enemy, nicknamed Ayatollah?
Mother! (2017)
Kinopoisk: 7.5 IMDb: 6.8 +18 Far from the noise, a married couple lives in a lonely house. She takes care of the house, and he tries to write a poem. One day a stranger came knocking on their house, then the stranger's wife appeared on the doorstep and things quickly got out of control. The calm life of lovers will never be the same from now on. This film starred Jennifer Lawrence - the filmography of the actress.
That's all Darren Aronofsky has been working on so far. The director's filmography will probably be expanded and new films will appear in his biography. Stay tuned.
