Editing Darren Aronofsky (section)

==Reception to films==
''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">{{cite web| url = http://www.screendaily.com/mpaa-slams-nc-17-rating-on-artisans-requiem/403357.article| title = MPAA slams NC-17 rating on Artisan's 'Requiem'| publisher = Screendaily| author = Goodridge, Mike| date = August 22, 2000| access-date = December 19, 2010| archive-date = January 18, 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120118182530/http://www.screendaily.com/mpaa-slams-nc-17-rating-on-artisans-requiem/403357.article| url-status = live}}</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>{{cite web | last=Hernandez | first=Eugene | author2=Anthony Kaufman | title=MPAA Upholds NC-17 Rating for Aronofsky's "Requiem for a Dream"; Artisan Stands Behind Film and Will Release Film Unrated | url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/daily_news_artisan_backs_unrated_requiem_san_sebastian_lineup_shaping_up/ | date=August 25, 2000 | work=indieWIRE | publisher=SnagFilms | access-date=November 1, 2011 | archive-date=February 22, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222065310/http://www.indiewire.com/article/daily_news_artisan_backs_unrated_requiem_san_sebastian_lineup_shaping_up | url-status=live }}</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>{{cite web |title=Black Swan: Amy Westcott Interview |url=http://clothesonfilm.com/black-swan-amy-westcott-interview/18997/ |access-date=January 30, 2011 |publisher=Clothes on Film |first=Chris |last=Laverty |date=January 28, 2011 |archive-date=February 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201190735/http://clothesonfilm.com/black-swan-amy-westcott-interview/18997/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The media gave substantial coverage to the [[Black Swan dance double controversy|dance double controversy]]: how much credit for the dancing in the film was being given to Portman and how much to her "[[Body double|dance double]]", [[Sarah Lane (dancer)|Sarah Lane]], an [[American Ballet Theatre]] [[soloist (ballet)|soloist]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://pointemagazine.com/issues/aprilmay-2010/call-board |title=Ballet All Over: Big Names in ''Black Swan'' |work=Pointe Magazine |publisher=Macfadden Performing Arts Media |author=Fuhrer, Margaret |date=May 21, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100715134013/http://pointemagazine.com/issues/aprilmay-2010/call-board |archive-date=July 15, 2010 |df=mdy }}</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>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2011/03/26/black-swan-responds-cover-up/|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|first=Jeff|last=Labrecque|date=March 26, 2011|access-date=December 12, 2019|title='Black Swan' controversy: 'Natalie herself did most of the dancing,' insist filmmakers|archive-date=December 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212213843/https://ew.com/article/2011/03/26/black-swan-responds-cover-up/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Aronofsky said in an interview with ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'':<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2011/03/28/darren-aronofsky-black-swan-controversy/ |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |first=Adam |last=Markovitz |date=March 28, 2011 |access-date=December 12, 2019 |title='Black Swan' director Darren Aronofsky defends Natalie Portman in body-double controversy |archive-date=December 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212213843/https://ew.com/article/2011/03/28/darren-aronofsky-black-swan-controversy/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{blockquote|I had my editor count shots. There are 140 dance shots in the film. 111 are Natalie Portman untouched. 28 are her dance double Sarah Lane. If you do the math, that's 80% Natalie Portman. What about duration? The shots that feature the double are wide shots and rarely play for longer than one second. There are two complicated longer dance sequences that we used face replacement. Even so, if we were judging by time, over 90% would be Natalie Portman. And to be clear, Natalie did dance [[Glossary of ballet#Pointe.2C en|en pointe]] in pointe shoes. If you look at the final shot of the opening prologue, which lasts 85 seconds, and was danced completely by Natalie, she exits the scene on pointe. That is completely her without any digital magic.}}

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 (film)|The Da Vinci Code]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=controversy.htm|title=Controversy movies at the Box Office|access-date=October 4, 2016|archive-date=September 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160930040058/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=controversy.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Noah'' has been banned in United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Indonesia on religious grounds with other countries following suit.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kosior|first=Wojciech|year=2016|title=The Crimes of Love. The (Un)Censored Version of the Flood Story in Noah (2014)|url=http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol20/iss3/27|journal=Journal of Religion and Film|volume=20|issue=3|access-date=October 4, 2016|archive-date=October 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006051346/http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol20/iss3/27/|url-status=live}}</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">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/article/451338/jennifer-lawrence-mother-sickest-movie-ever-made-disgusting-torture-porn|title=Jennifer Lawrence's Grotesque Spoof of the Nativity|last=Smith|first=Kyle|author-link=Kyle Smith (critic)|date=September 14, 2017|magazine=[[National Review]]|access-date=October 1, 2017|archive-date=September 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929081730/http://www.nationalreview.com/article/451338/jennifer-lawrence-mother-sickest-movie-ever-made-disgusting-torture-porn|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="opening2">{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/09/it-stephen-king-movie-jennifer-lawrence-mother-dylan-obrien-american-assassin-weekend-box-office-1202170367/|title='Mother!' Dies With 'F' CinemaScore And $7.5M Start As 'It' Becomes Biggest September Release Ever With $218M+ Cume|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=September 17, 2017|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112013513/https://deadline.com/2017/09/it-stephen-king-movie-jennifer-lawrence-mother-dylan-obrien-american-assassin-weekend-box-office-1202170367/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Hughes">{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/mother-earns-a-rare-semi-coveted-f-from-cinemascore-1818476876|title=Mother! earns a rare, semi-coveted F from CinemaScore|last=Hughes|first=William|date=September 16, 2017|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=September 17, 2017|archive-date=September 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916233425/https://www.avclub.com/mother-earns-a-rare-semi-coveted-f-from-cinemascore-1818476876|url-status=live}}</ref> His eighth film ''[[The Whale (2022 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 [[Social stigma of obesity|fatphobic]].<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/brendan-fraser-himbo-whale-dont-let-this-flop-1234587486/ | title=Welcome Back, Brendan Fraser, You Sexy MF | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | first=EJ | last=Dickson | date=September 7, 2022 | access-date=September 30, 2022 | archive-date=September 14, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914113858/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/brendan-fraser-himbo-whale-dont-let-this-flop-1234587486/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/09/06/1121122595/brendan-frasers-controversial-hollywood-comeback-story|title=Why Brendan Fraser's Hollywood comeback story is both warming hearts and raising ire|date=September 6, 2022|access-date=September 30, 2022|publisher=[[NPR]]|first=Jaclyn|last=Diaz|archive-date=September 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913224921/https://www.npr.org/2022/09/06/1121122595/brendan-frasers-controversial-hollywood-comeback-story|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-whale-review-darren-aronofsky-brendan-fraser/|title=The Whale Review: Fatphobia Sinks Darren Aronofsky's Drama|work=Slant Magazine|first=Mark|last=Hanson|date=September 13, 2022|access-date=September 30, 2022|archive-date=September 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914002009/https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-whale-review-darren-aronofsky-brendan-fraser/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rife |first=Katie |date=September 13, 2022 |title=Darren Aronofsky's The Whale is an act of hate disguised as tough love |url=https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23351261/the-whale-review-brendan-fraser |access-date=September 30, 2022 |website=Polygon |archive-date=September 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930045406/https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23351261/the-whale-review-brendan-fraser |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodriguez |first=Mathew |date=September 28, 2022 |title=In The Whale, Brendan Fraser Plays Gay and Wears a Fatsuit. Daniel Franzese Has Thoughts |url=https://www.them.us/story/daniel-franzese-brendan-fraser-the-whale-fatsuit |access-date=September 30, 2022 |website=Them |archive-date=September 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929212149/https://www.them.us/story/daniel-franzese-brendan-fraser-the-whale-fatsuit |url-status=live }}</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>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=December 7, 2022 |title=Brendan Fraser shares how he transformed for his role in 'The Whale' |url=https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/brendan-fraser-shares-transformed-role-whale-94548413 |work=Good Morning America |location= |access-date= |archive-date=December 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215091245/https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/amp/culture/story/brendan-fraser-shares-transformed-role-whale-94548413 |url-status=live }}</ref>