Darren Aronofsky
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Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are noted for their surreal, dramatic, and often disturbing elements, frequently in the form of psychological realism. His accolades include a Golden Lion and a Primetime Emmy Award as well as nominations for the Academy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards and the British Academy Film Awards.
Aronofsky studied film and social anthropology at Harvard University before studying directing at the AFI Conservatory. He won several film awards after completing his senior thesis film, Supermarket Sweep, which became a National Student Academy Award finalist. In 1997, he founded the film and TV production company Protozoa Pictures. His feature film debut, the surrealist psychological thriller Pi (1998), earned him the award for Best Director at the Sundance Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.
Aronofsky then directed the psychological drama Requiem for a Dream (2000), the romantic fantasy sci-fi drama The Fountain (2006), and the sports drama The Wrestler (2008), the latter of which earned the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. For his critically acclaimed psychological drama Black Swan (2010), he was nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA, the film received 5 Oscars nominations including Best Picture. His later films include the epic Noah (2014) and the psychological horror film Mother! (2017). His acclaimed drama The Whale (2022) won the Academy Awards for Best Actor (Brendan Fraser), Best Makeup and Hairstyling and a Best Supporting Actress nomination (Hong Chau) as well as four nominations for the 76th British Academy Film Awards.
Early life
[edit]Aronofsky was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York, United States, on February 12, 1969,<ref name=filmref>Template:Cite web</ref> the son of teachers Charlotte and Abraham Aronofsky, both of Polish-Jewish descent.<ref name=filmref /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He grew up in Brooklyn's Manhattan Beach neighborhood.<ref name="Gill" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He said he was "raised culturally Jewish, but there was very little spiritual attendance in the temple. It was a cultural thing—celebrating the holidays, knowing where you came from, knowing your history, having respect for what your people have been through."<ref name="Gill">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He graduated from Edward R. Murrow High School.<ref name="bio66">Template:Cite web</ref> He has one sister, Patti, who attended a professional ballet school through high school.<ref name="sister">Template:Cite web</ref> His parents would often take him to Broadway performances, which sparked his interest in show business.<ref name="darren2">Template:Cite web Undated; updated version of story from The Star, 1998, n.d.</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
During his youth, Aronofsky trained as a field biologist with The School for Field Studies in Kenya in 1985 and Alaska in 1986.<ref name="earlylife">"Alumni: Darren Aronofsky" Template:Webarchive, The School for Field Studies (official site), December 22, 2009</ref> He attended school in Kenya to pursue an interest in learning about ungulates.<ref name="earlylife"/> He later said that the School for Field Studies "changed the way [he] perceived the world".<ref name="earlylife"/> Aronofsky's interest in the outdoors led him to backpack his way through Europe and the Middle East. At the age of 18, he entered Harvard University, where he majored in social anthropology and studied filmmaking; he graduated in 1991.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He became seriously interested in film while attending Harvard after befriending Dan Schrecker, an aspiring animator,<ref name="darren3">Template:Cite web</ref> and Sean Gullette, who would go on to star in Aronofsky's first film, Pi.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His cinematic influences included Akira Kurosawa,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Roman Polanski,<ref name="askhollywood" /> Federico Fellini, Terry Gilliam,<ref name="askhollywood">Template:Cite web</ref> Shinya Tsukamoto,<ref name="askhollywood" /> Hubert Selby Jr.<ref name="askhollywood" /> Spike Lee,<ref name="timemagazine" /> Satoshi Kon,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Jim Jarmusch.<ref name=timemagazine>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Aronofsky's senior thesis film, Supermarket Sweep, was a finalist in the 1991 Student Academy Awards.<ref name= filmcom>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1992, Aronofsky received his MFA degree in directing from the AFI Conservatory,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> where his classmates included Todd Field, Doug Ellin, Scott Silver, and Mark Waters.<ref>"Darren Aronofsky: 10 things you need to know about the Oscar-nominated director"Template:Dead link, Mirror.co.uk, February 25, 2011</ref><ref>Kay, Jeremy. "Mark Waters to receive AFI's Franklin J Schaffner Alumni Medal" Template:Webarchive, ScreenDaily.com, June 9, 2008</ref> He won the institute's Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Career
[edit]Early work
[edit]Aronofsky's debut feature, titled Pi—sometimes stylized as π—was shot in October 1997. The film was financed in part from $100 donations from his friends and family.<ref name="darren1">Template:Cite web</ref> In return, he promised to pay each back $150 if the film made money, and they would at least get screen credit if the film lost money.<ref name="darren2"/> Producing the film with an initial budget of $60,000, Aronofsky premiered Pi at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, where he won the Best Director award. The film itself was nominated for a special Jury Award.<ref name="pi2">Template:Cite web</ref> Artisan Entertainment bought distribution rights for $1 million.<ref name="darren2"/> The film was released to the public later that year to critical acclaim and it grossed a total of $3,221,152 at the box-office.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pi was the first film to be made available for download on the Internet.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Aronofsky followed his debut with Requiem for a Dream, a film based on Hubert Selby Jr.'s novel of the same name. He was paid $50,000, and worked for three years with nearly the same production team as his previous film.<ref name = "nodream">Template:Cite web</ref> Following the financial breakout of Pi, he was capable of hiring established actors, including Ellen Burstyn and Jared Leto, and received a budget of $3,500,000 to produce the film.<ref name="nodream2">Template:Cite web</ref> Production of the film occurred over the period of one year, with the film being released in October 2000. The film went on to gross $7,390,108 worldwide.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Aronofsky received acclaim for his stylish direction, and was nominated for another Independent Spirit Award, this time for Best Director.<ref name="spirit">Template:Cite web</ref> The film itself was nominated for five awards in total, winning two, for Best Actress and Cinematography.<ref name="spirit"/> Clint Mansell's soundtrack for the film was also well-regarded, and since their first collaboration in 1996, Mansell has composed the music to every Aronofsky film (except for Mother!, 2017 and The Whale, 2022).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ellen Burstyn was nominated for numerous awards, including for an Academy Award for Best Actress, and won the Independent Spirit Award.<ref name="spirit"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Aronofsky was awarded the PRISM Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with the National Institute on Drug Abuse for the film's depiction of drug abuse.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In May 2000, Aronofsky was briefly attached to make an adaptation of David Wiesner's 1999 children's book Sector 7 for Nickelodeon Movies, the project remains unmade.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In mid-2000, Warner Bros. hired Aronofsky to write and direct Batman: Year One, which was to be the fifth film in the Batman franchise.<ref name=Dana>Template:Cite news</ref> Aronofsky, who collaborated with Frank Miller on an unproduced script for Ronin, brought Miller in to co-write Year One with him, intending to reboot the series.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "It's somewhat based on the comic book", Aronofsky later said. "Toss out everything you can imagine about Batman! Everything! We're starting completely anew", who intended to re-imagine the titular character in a darker, adult-oriented and grounded style, with his adaptation aiming for an R-rating.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Regular Aronofsky collaborator Matthew Libatique was set as cinematographer,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Aronofsky had also approached Christian Bale for the role of Batman. Bale was ultimately cast in the role for Batman Begins.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After that project failed to develop, Aronofsky declined the opportunity to direct a film in the Batman franchise.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In March 2001, he helped write the screenplay to the horror film Below, which he also produced.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
In April 2001, Aronofsky entered negotiations with Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow to direct a then-untitled science fiction film, with Brad Pitt in the lead role.<ref name="epic">Template:Cite news</ref> In June 2001, actress Cate Blanchett entered talks to join the film,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which Aronofsky, wanting the title to remain secret, had given the working title of The Last Man.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Production was postponed to wait for a pregnant Blanchett to give birth to her child in December 2001. Production was ultimately set for late October 2002 in Queensland and Sydney.
By now officially titled The Fountain, the film had a budget of $70 million, co-financed by Warner Bros. and New Regency, which had filled the gap after Village Roadshow withdrew.<ref name=Fo>Template:Cite news</ref> Pitt left the project seven weeks before the first day of shooting, halting production.<ref name="outsider">Template:Cite news</ref> In February 2004, Warner Bros. resurrected it on a $35 million budget with Hugh Jackman in the lead role.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In August, actress Rachel Weisz filled the vacancy left by Blanchett.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Fountain was released on November 22, 2006, a day before the American Thanksgiving holiday; ultimately it grossed $15,978,422 in theaters worldwide.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Audiences and critics were divided in their responses to it.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Kenny">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="mcfc">Template:Cite web</ref>
Breakthrough
[edit]
In 2007, Aronofsky hired writer Scott Silver to develop The Fighter with him.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Aronofsky approached Bale to star in the film, but Aronofsky dropped out because of its similarities to The Wrestler and to work on MGM's RoboCop remake.Template:Clarify<ref>Pedersen, Nicole. "It's Official! Darren Aronofsky Will Build A Better ROBOCOP" Template:Webarchive, Collider July 25, 2008</ref> In July 2010, Aronofsky had left the project due to uncertainty over the financially distressed studio's future.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When asked about the film, he said, "I think I'm still attached. I don't know. I haven't heard from anyone in a while".<ref name="latimes-zeitchik">Zeitchik, Steven."It's a swan, it's a plane ... Darren Aronofsky latest name to surface in Superman director search" Template:Webarchive, Los Angeles Times, 2010/10/27</ref> Later during 2007, Aronofsky said he was planning to film a movie about Noah's Ark.<ref>"Exclusive: Aronofsky To Direct Noah" Template:Webarchive, Empire, 2007/05/30</ref>
Aronofsky had the idea for The Wrestler for over a decade.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He hired Robert Siegel to turn his idea into a script. The actor Nicolas Cage entered negotiations in October 2007 to star as Randy, the film's protagonist.<ref name="moves">Template:Cite news</ref> The following month Cage left the project, and Mickey Rourke replaced him in the lead role. Aronofsky said that Cage pulled out of the movie because Aronofsky wanted Rourke to star; Aronofsky said, stating that Cage was "a complete gentleman, and he understood that my heart was with Mickey and he stepped aside. I have so much respect for Nic Cage as an actor and I think it really could have worked with Nic but, you know, Nic was incredibly supportive of Mickey and he is old friends with Mickey and really wanted to help with this opportunity, so he pulled himself out of the race."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Cage responded, "I wasn't quote 'dropped' from the movie. I resigned from the movie because I didn't think I had enough time to achieve the look of the wrestler who was on steroids, which I would never do".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The roughly 40-day shoot began in January 2008.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Wrestler premiered at the 65th Venice International Film Festival. Initially receiving little attention, the film wound up winning the Golden Lion, the highest award at the world's oldest film festival.<ref name="venice">Template:Cite web</ref> The Wrestler received critical acclaim, and both Rourke and co-star Marisa Tomei received Academy Award, Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA nominations for their performances.<ref name="lots">Template:Cite news</ref> Rourke won a Golden Globe, as did Bruce Springsteen for his original song written for the film. The Wrestler grossed $44,674,354 worldwide on a budget of $6,000,000 making it Aronofsky's highest-grossing film to that point.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Aronofsky's next film was Black Swan, which had been in development since 2001, a psychological thriller horror film about a New York City ballerina.<ref>"Direct Effect Season 1, Episode 7 Darren Aronofsky of BLACK SWAN". Template:Webarchive Fox Movie Channel Originals. TV Guide. October 11, 2011.</ref><ref name="talks">Template:Cite news</ref> The film starred actress Natalie Portman, whom Aronofsky had known since 2000. She introduced Aronofsky to Mila Kunis, who joined the cast in 2009.<ref name="kisses">Template:Cite news</ref> Black Swan had its world premiere as the opening film at the 67th Venice Film Festival in September 2010. It received a standing ovation whose length Variety said made it "one of the strongest Venice openers in recent memory".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Black Swan has received high praise from film critics, and received a record 12 Broadcast Film Critics Association nominations, four Independent Spirit Award nominations, four Golden Globe nominations, three SAG nominations, and many more accolades.<ref name="RT5">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="spiritawards">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="globesnom">Template:Cite web</ref> Aronofsky received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director.<ref name="globesnom"/> The film broke limited-release box-office records and grossed an unexpectedly high $329,398,046.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="mojo">Template:Cite web</ref> On January 25, 2011, the film was nominated for a total of five Academy Awards; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing. On February 27, 2011, Portman won for Best Actress.<ref name="oscars">Template:Cite web</ref> The film was awarded the PRISM Award from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration for its depiction of mental health issues.<ref name="PRISM">Template:Cite web</ref> Aronofsky served as an executive producer on The Fighter, which was also nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and won two for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress for Christian Bale and Melissa Leo.<ref name="oscars"/>
Larger-budget productions
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Aronofsky was attached to The Wolverine, which was scheduled to begin production in March 2011, but he left the project due to scheduling issues.<ref name="wolverine">Template:Cite news Additional March 17, 2011.</ref> The film was set to be sixth entry of the X-Men film series, featuring a story revolving around Wolverine's adventures in Japan.<ref name="wolverine"/> In April 2011, Aronofsky was announced as the president of the jury for the 68th Venice International Film Festival.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In December 2011, Aronofsky directed the music video for Lou Reed and Metallica's "The View" from their album Lulu.<ref name="pitch2">Template:Cite web</ref>
Aronofsky was set to direct an HBO series pilot called Hobgoblin. Announced on June 16, 2011, the series would have depicted a group of magicians and con artists who use their powers of deception to defeat Hitler during World War II.<ref name="goblin">Template:Cite magazine</ref> He was set to work on the project with Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Chabon and his wife Ayelet Waldman.<ref name="goblin"/> In June 2013, it was announced that HBO had dropped the show and Aronofsky had pulled out, as well.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2011, Aronofsky tried to launch production on Noah, a retelling of the Bible story of Noah's Ark, projected for a $115 million budget.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By the following year, the film had secured funding and distribution from New Regency and Paramount Pictures, with Russell Crowe hired for the title role.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film was adapted into a serialized graphic novel written by Aronofsky and Ari Handel, published in French in October 2011 by the Belgian publisher Le Lombard.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By July 2012, Aronofsky's crews were building an ark set in Oyster Bay, New York. Aronofsky announced the start of filming on Noah on Twitter in the same month, tweeting shots of the filming in Iceland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film featured Emma Watson, Anthony Hopkins, Logan Lerman, and Jennifer Connelly, with the latter having also starred in Requiem for a Dream.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During its opening weekend, Noah held the largest non-sequel opening within Russia and Brazil, and the fourth-largest opening of all time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Aronofsky did not use live animals for the film, saying in a PETA video that "there's really no reason to do it anymore because the technology has arrived".<ref>"Darren Aronofsky: 'There were no real animals used in Noah' Template:Webarchive", WENN.com, March 25, 2014.</ref> The Humane Society of the United States gave him their inaugural Humane Filmmaker Award in honor of his use of computer-generated animals.<ref>"Darren Aronofsky honoured for kindness to animals Template:Webarchive", WENN.com, March 26, 2014.</ref> That same year, he was announced as the president of the jury for the 65th Berlin International Film Festival for February 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Aronofsky's next film, Mother!, was released by Paramount Pictures on September 15, 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, Ed Harris and Kristen Wiig.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film sparked controversy upon release for its depiction of violence,<ref name="Smith"/> and, though it received generally positive reviews,<ref name="RT_mother">Template:Cite web</ref> it polarized audiences, becoming one of few films to receive a "F" CinemaScore grade.<ref name="opening2"/><ref name="Hughes"/> On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 68% based on 278 reviews, and an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "There's no denying that Mother! is the thought-provoking product of a singularly ambitious artistic vision, though it may be too unwieldy for mainstream tastes."<ref name="RT_mother" />
His next film would be "A courtroom drama of Artificial intelligence", in which he would cooperate again with Paramount Pictures, having doing so in Mother!.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2018, he was the co-executive producer of SPHERES, a virtual reality journey through the universe, that was acquired in a seven figure deal at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
In January 2021, his next film was announced to be The Whale, a film adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter's play of the same name, starring Brendan Fraser.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Whale had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2022, where it received a six-minute standing ovation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Fraser's performance was highly praised and won him the Academy Award for Best Actor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2023, Aronofsky director the feature Postcard from Earth, which was produced and filmed exclusively for the Sphere in the Las Vegas Valley on its 16K resolution screen.
In 2024, it was announced that Aronofsky would direct the 1990s-set crime thriller Caught Stealing for Sony Pictures, with Charlie Huston adapting his own novel and Austin Butler attached to star.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film is set to be theatrically released on August 29, 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Nonfiction work
[edit]In 2018, Aronofsky executive produced the 10-part documentary series One Strange Rock for National Geographic. Episodes cover topics like the universe's origins, alien life, human intelligence, and themes of survival and destruction. Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter describes One Strange Rock as "spectacular, delivering the same sort of bringing-science-to-life thrills for Earth as Cosmos did with the universe and Blue Planet and Planet Earth have done with myriad lifeforms."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Aronofsky executive produced another National Geographic docuseries showcasing the planet's wonders, Welcome to Earth. The six-episode program was released in December 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2020, Aronofsky produced director Lance Oppenheim's debut feature documentary, Some Kind of Heaven. Set in The Villages retirement community in Florida, the film follows four residents who struggle to fit into the community's prepackaged paradise. In The A.V. Club, A.A. Dowd says Some Kind of Heaven "is surely one of the most gorgeously, strikingly shot documentaries in recent memory".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before being released by Magnolia Pictures in 2021.
In 2022, Aronofsky produced director Alex Pritz's documentary The Territory, about the Indigenous Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau people's struggle against advancing deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, caused by farmers and unauthorized settlers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2022, and was released theatrically on August 19, 2022, by National Geographic to critical praise.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Guy Lodge of Variety writes, "'The Territory' is handsome without resting unduly on the natural beauty of its imperiled landscape, though iridescent closeups of plant and insect activity make clear the larger circle of life at stake here."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film was awarded a 2022 Peabody Award and was shortlisted for an Academy Award in the Documentary Feature Film category.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Aronofsky also created and executive produced Limitless for National Geographic, released in November 2022. The six-part series features Chris Hemsworth and delves into the science of longevity and how to live better and longer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Directing style
[edit]
Aronofsky's first two films, Pi and Requiem for a Dream, were low budget and used montages of extremely short shots, also known as hip hop montages.<ref name="Boyd 2008">Template:Cite book</ref> While an average 100-minute film has 600 to 700 cuts, Requiem for a Dream features more than 2,000. Split-screen is used extensively, along with extremely tight closeups.<ref name=post>Template:Cite book</ref> Long tracking shots, including those shot with an apparatus strapping a camera to an actor, called the Snorricam, and time-lapse photography are also prominent stylistic devices.<ref name="DASF">Template:Cite book</ref> Often with his films, Aronofsky alternates between extreme closeups and extreme wide shots to create a sense of isolation.<ref name="Tech">Template:Cite book</ref>
With The Fountain, Aronofsky restricted the use of computer-generated imagery. Henrik Fett, the visual effects supervisor of Look Effects, said, "Darren was quite clear on what he wanted and his intent to greatly minimize the use of computer graphics ... and I think the results are outstanding."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He used more subtle directing in The Wrestler and Black Swan, in which a less-visceral directing style better showcases the acting and narratives. Aronofsky filmed both works with a muted palette and a grainy style.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Part of this consistent style involves collaborations with frequent partners cinematographer Matthew Libatique, editor Andrew Weisblum and composer Clint Mansell.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Mansell's music is often an important element of the films.<ref name="makers">Template:Cite news</ref>
Themes and influences
[edit]Pi features several references to mathematics and mathematical theories.<ref name="darren1"/> In a 1998 interview, Aronofsky acknowledged several influences for Pi: "I'm a big fan of Kurosawa and Fellini. In this film in particular I think there's a lot of Roman Polanski influence and Terry Gilliam influence as well as a Japanese director named Shinya Tsukamoto—he directed The Iron Man, Tetsuo." The visual style of Pi and Requiem for a Dream features numerous similarities to Tetsuo: The Iron Man.<ref>"Darren Aronofsky: THE ASK HOLLYWOOD INTERVIEW" Template:Webarchive. Darren Aronofsky Online (1998). Retrieved August 27, 2013.</ref><ref>"An Interview with Darren Aronofsky and Sean Gullette of "Pi"" Template:Webarchive. IndieWire (January 21, 1998). Retrieved August 27, 2013.</ref>
The majority of reviewers characterized Requiem for a Dream in the genre of "drug movies", along with films like The Basketball Diaries, Trainspotting, Spun, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.<ref name="Boyd 2008"/> But, Aronofsky placed his movie in a wider context, saying: Template:BlockquoteDream logic is another leitmotif.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
With his friend Ari Handel, Aronofsky developed the plot for The Fountain; the director wrote the screenplay. In 1999, Aronofsky thought that The Matrix redefined the science fiction genre in film. He sought to make a science fiction film that explored new territory, as did The Matrix and its predecessors Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey. He wanted to go beyond science fiction films with plots driven by technology and science.<ref name="epic"/>
In the Toronto International Film Festival interview conducted by James Rocchi, Aronofsky credited the 1957 Charles Mingus song "The Clown" as a major influence on The Wrestler. It is an instrumental piece, with a poem read over the music about a clown who accidentally discovers the bloodlust of the crowds and eventually kills himself in performance.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Aronofsky called Black Swan a companion piece to The Wrestler, recalling one of his early projects about a love affair between a wrestler and a ballerina. He eventually separated the wrestling and the ballet worlds, considering them as "too much for one movie". He compared the two films: "Wrestling some consider the lowest art—if they would even call it art—and ballet some people consider the highest art. But what was amazing to me was how similar the performers in both of these worlds are. They both make incredible use of their bodies to express themselves."<ref name="kisses"/> About the psychological thriller nature of Black Swan, actress Natalie Portman compared the film's tone to Polanski's 1968 film Rosemary's Baby,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while Aronofsky said Polanski's Repulsion (1965) and The Tenant (1976) were "big influences" on the final film.<ref name="kisses"/> Actor Vincent Cassel also compared Black Swan to Polanski's early films, commenting that it was also influenced by Alejandro Jodorowsky's movies<ref>las películas favoritas de darren aronofsky – filmin Template:Webarchive. Filmin.es. Retrieved on May 22, 2014.</ref> and David Cronenberg's early work.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Aronofsky has also mentioned that he "learned a lot" from Jean-Luc Godard's film Breathless.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Reception to films
[edit]Requiem for a Dream was originally set for release in 2000, but it was met with controversy in the U.S., being rated NC-17 by the MPAA due to a graphic sex scene.<ref name="dreaming">Template:Cite web</ref> Aronofsky appealed the rating, claiming that cutting any portion of the film would dilute its message. The appeal was denied and the film's distributor Artisan Entertainment decided to release the film unrated.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The question of who had designed 40 ballet costumes for Portman and the dancers in Black Swan was one publicized controversy related to the film.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The media gave substantial coverage to the dance double controversy: how much credit for the dancing in the film was being given to Portman and how much to her "dance double", Sarah Lane, an American Ballet Theatre soloist.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lane claimed to have danced more than she was credited. The director and Fox Searchlight disputed Lane's claim. Their released statements said, "We were fortunate to have Sarah there to cover the more complicated dance sequences and we have nothing but praise for the hard work she did. However, Natalie herself did most of the dancing featured in the final film."<ref name=fs>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Aronofsky said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly:<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
While Aronofsky's other movies have evoked significant emotional response, they were surpassed by the controversy aroused by Noah. It was screened for the first time on March 28, 2014, and despite its PG-13 rating, it has quickly been recognized by Box Office Mojo as one of the most controversial movies of the last 35 years along with such titles as The Passion of the Christ or The Da Vinci Code.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Noah has been banned in United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Indonesia on religious grounds with other countries following suit.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Aronofsky's films have also been criticized for content and casting. His seventh film Mother! (2017) sparked controversy upon release due to its graphic and disturbing content, polarizing both critics and audiences.<ref name="Smith">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="opening2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Hughes">Template:Cite web</ref> His eighth film The Whale (2022) also received controversy for lead star Brendan Fraser wearing a prosthetic suit; and for casting the heterosexual Fraser as a homosexual character. Some critics labeled the film's messaging relating to its lead character's obesity as fatphobic.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In preparing for the role, Fraser consulted the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) and conversed with members of the group about their life experiences. The OAC recognized the controversial use of prosthetics in portraying obesity, but the organization supported its role in the film because it helped "realistically portray one person's story with obesity, something rarely seen in media" rather than existing to "demean or ridicule".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Environmental activism
[edit]Aronofsky is known for his environmental activism. A number of his films, notably Noah and Mother!, can be read as environmental parables. In 2014 he traveled to the Alberta Tar Sands with the Sierra Club's Michael Brune and Leonardo DiCaprio.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2015, he traveled to Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with Brune, Keri Russell, and the leaders of several veterans groups.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2014, he received the Humane Filmmaker Award from the Humane Society of the United States.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
In 2015, he collaborated with the artist JR on The Standing March, a public art installation in Paris encouraging diplomats at COP21 to take action against climate change.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
He coproduced the 2022 documentary The Territory about a Brazilian rainforest tribe's fight to protect its existence from encroaching land grabbers.
He is a board member of the Sierra Club Foundation and The School for Field Studies.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
[edit]Aronofsky began dating English actress Rachel Weisz in 2001, and they were engaged in 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They lived in Manhattan's East Village and had a son on May 31, 2006.<ref name="usatoday">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In November 2010, they announced that they had been separated for months but were raising their son together.<ref name="peoplesplit">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
In September 2016, he began dating American actress Jennifer Lawrence, whom he met during the filming of Mother!.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The relationship ended in November 2017.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Since 2018, Darren has been in a relationship with Russian actress of Jewish descent, Aglaya Tarasova, daughter of actress Kseniya Rappoport.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Aronofsky said of his spiritual beliefs in 2014, "I think I definitely believe. My biggest expression of what I believe is in The Fountain."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2022, he said, "I do TM [Transcendental Meditation] and I love it. It's a really helpful exercise."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2024, both he and his sister Patti became Polish citizens. His Polish lawyer explained that Aronofsky applied for Polish citizenship to fulfill his parents' wish.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Supermarket Sweep | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No | Senior thesis film<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Fortune Cookie | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:Yes | AFI Conservatory masters program<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 1993 | Protozoa | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No | |
| 1994 | No Time | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No |
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Pi | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No |
| 2000 | Requiem for a Dream | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No |
| 2002 | Below | Template:No | Template:Yes | Template:Yes |
| 2006 | Template:Sortname | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No |
| 2008 | Template:Sortname | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:Yes |
| 2010 | Black Swan | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:No |
| 2014 | Noah | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:Yes |
| 2017 | Mother! | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Template:No |
| 2022 | The Whale | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:Yes |
| 2025 | Caught Stealing | Template:Yes | Template:No | Template:Yes |
|
Producer only
|
Executive producer
|
Acting credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Pi | Assistant positive cutter | |
| 2000 | Requiem for a Dream | Visitor | Uncredited cameo |
| 2022 | Night of the Coconut | Himself |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | One Strange Rock | Executive producer | Documentary series |
| 2022 | Limitless with Chris Hemsworth | Creator and executive producer |
Other credits
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Soldier Boyz | Designer and cutscenes director | FMV Game<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2018 | Spheres: Songs of Spacetime | Producer | Virtual reality |
| 2023 | Postcard from Earth | Director, writer and producer | Bespoke production for the Sphere<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Title | Academy Awards | BAFTA Awards | Golden Globe Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | ||
| 2000 | Requiem for a Dream | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 2006 | The Fountain | 1 | |||||
| 2008 | The Wrestler | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2010 | Black Swan | 5 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2014 | Noah | 1 | |||||
| 2022 | The Whale | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | ||
| Total | 11 | 3 | 18 | 2 | 10 | 3 | |
Directed Academy Award performances
Under Aronofsky's direction, these actors have received Academy Award nominations and wins for their performances in their respective roles.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]External links
[edit]- Template:Official website
- Template:IMDb name
- Laine, Tarja (2015) Bodies in Pain: Emotion and the Cinema of Darren Aronofsky, Berghahn Books.
- Skorin-Kapov, Jadranka (2015) Darren Aronofsky's Films and the Fragility of Hope, Bloomsbury Academic.
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