Darren Aronofsky‘s motion pictures, from Pi to Caught Stealing, are every difficult in their very own means. Beginning along with his debut characteristic, Pi, Aronofsky has constructed a profession out of pushing boundaries and exploring advanced themes surrounding religion, life, and dying. Though some have been business and significant failures, the distinctive author/director’s filmography has earned him a loyal fan base.
Whether or not it is the black and white horror of Pi or the frantic chases of Caught Stealing, Aronofsky brings a singular contact and tone to his movies. Aronofsky has directed 9 characteristic movies up to now — though they every share comparable themes, they stand on their very own in distinctive methods. Right here is each Darren Aronofsky film up to now (together with Caught Stealing) and the way they maintain as much as each other.
9
The Fountain (2006)
Launched in 2006, Darren Aronofsky’s misguided The Fountain instantly polarized critics and was thought of a business failure. The sci-fi/fantasy epic tells the story of a romance throughout lifetimes, and it spans centuries of human historical past. A lot of The Fountain‘s behind-the-scenes tales level to a troubled manufacturing, which did not assist the jumbled story.
Though an formidable swing from Aronofsky, the jumbled mish-mash of concepts would not play out nicely on display screen. Although the film has gained a cult following within the years since its launch, it solely grossed $16 million towards its reported funds of $35 million. Though it is a tight 90 minutes lengthy, The Fountain fails to cohesively embody Aronofsky’s lofty concepts.
8
Mom! (2017)
By the mid-2010s, Darren Aronofsky had earned his fame as a confrontational storyteller, however that did not assist the bitter tablet that was Mom! go down any simpler. Within the allegorical and bitter movie, the plot follows a younger mom (Jennifer Lawrence) whose tranquil life is interrupted by the sudden arrival of undesirable friends.
Although the true that means of Mom! is left to interpretation, the film’s overt violence and the troublesome subject material turned off many viewers. Critics have been kinder normally, however its negligible field workplace returns of $44 million advised a unique story. An inherently difficult movie, Mom! was too prickly and complicated to essentially join with audiences.
7
The Whale (2022)
The texture-good story surrounding Brendan Fraser’s comeback in 2022’s The Whale was sufficient to offer the film a bump, however it was nonetheless one other polarizing outing for Darren Aronofsky. The story considerations a morbidly overweight English professor (Fraser) whose coronary heart failure prognosis spurs him to reconnect along with his estranged daughter (Sadie Sink).
Instantly sparking outrage for its detrimental portrayal of the overweight and a maudlin script, Fraser’s gorgeous efficiency nonetheless earned excessive marks. Total, the important response was blended, however Fraser scored a Greatest Actor nomination on the Oscars regardless of The Whale‘s controversial nature. It is a arduous and customarily disagreeable watch, bolstered by spectacular performances.
6
Noah (2014)
Noah was Darren Aronofsky’s first try at a blockbuster, and he used the chance to discover themes of religion by way of the titular hero. Drawing from Biblical and non-Biblical sources, the film sees Noah (Russell Crowe) construct his well-known ark to keep away from the wrath of God’s flood, utilizing blockbuster spectacle to inform a really private story.
From its whitewashing of characters to its controversy inside spiritual communities, Noah struck a bitter word with many however advantages from a dedicated tone and genuinely spectacular visuals. The big scale of the film is paying homage to the Biblical epics of Previous Hollywood, and simply grew to become Aronofsky’s most worthwhile launch, grossing over $300 million.
5
Pi (1998)
Darren Aronofsky got here on the scene along with his concepts totally fleshed out along with his debut characteristic Pi. A well-written film with poor manufacturing worth, Pi follows an obsessed mathematician (Sean Gullette) who seeks to search out an underlying order to the world by way of numbers.
Referring to matters that Aronofsky would steadily revisit, Pi asks huge questions in regards to the nature of life. Although its technical execution was fairly flawed, the story was advanced, and the film even earned Aronofsky the Directing Award on the Sundance Movie Competition. Different Aronofsky motion pictures could be bigger in scale, however Pi is nice at encapsulating the director’s core concepts.
4
Caught Stealing (2025)
Primarily based on the Charlie Huston e-book of the identical identify, Caught Stealing is a criminal offense caper set in late Twentieth-century New York Metropolis. A frantic and darkly humorous thriller with a profitable lead efficiency, Caught Stealing is arguably Darren Aronofsky’s most easy crowd-pleaser, and is entertaining sufficient to spotlight his expertise at (comparatively) lighter fare.
Caught Stealing has a terrific sense of movement and motion, Aronofsky’s grounded sensibilities meshing nicely with the shoot-outs and murders. The forged is all top-notch, particularly a splendidly scummy Matt Smith efficiency that is hilarious, pathetic, and sympathetic abruptly. Regardless of some regressive story tropes, Caught Stealing is Aronofsky’s most purely enjoyable movie.
3
Black Swan (2010)
Although it drew the ire {of professional} ballerinas for its unrealistic (and unflattering) portrayal of their occupation, Black Swan is certainly one of Natalie Portman’s greatest horror motion pictures. The story facilities on Nina (Portman), a dancer in a manufacturing of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake who cracks beneath the stress of taking part in her components amid a brand new rival’s arrival.
Black Swan makes use of dance as a method to discover id, with the horror of the film comes from the inner wrestle inside Nina and the way it manifests in the actual world. The film was an enormous field workplace hit, with Portman delivering certainly one of her greatest performances (and profitable the Academy Award for Greatest Actress) on this terrifically heady horror.
2
Requiem For A Dream (2000)
Not letting up after his 1998 debut, Darren Aronofsky’s sophomore outing established him as a difficult filmmaker with Requiem for a Dream. Specializing in 4 individuals within the grips of dependancy as their lives spiral, Requiem for a Dream is bleak, heartwrenching, and stuffed with mesmerizing performances which might be not possible to look away from.
Though controversial upon launch, many critics acknowledged it as an deliberately difficult-to-watch but visually pleasing spectacle. Unflinching in its method, the film’s dourness turned off some moviegoers, however its fame as a contemporary basic has grown within the ensuing many years — and with good motive. Requiem for a Dream is a harrowing and deeply efficient movie.
1
The Wrestler (2008)
Darren Aronofsky’s motion pictures aren’t identified for his or her accessible nature, however his 2008 character drama The Wrestler is the uncommon exception that balances Aronofsky’s tragic characters with a riff on a broadly interesting archetype. The Wrestler focuses on an getting old skilled wrestler (Mickey Rourke) who continues to placed on matches regardless of his failing well being.
Rourke’s comeback was the emotional coronary heart of the film, and its easy plot made it extra broadly interesting than Aronofsky’s different movies. The professional wrestling factor provides an thrilling visible layer. That tight focus leaves room for the painfully highly effective humanity that has been on the core of all of Darren Aronofsky’s motion pictures, and it is by no means higher right here.