For more than a decade now, director Darren Aronofsky has wanted to make a film about wrestling. The
Wrestler, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival this year, has also received rave reviews
for its star, Mickey Rourke, who gives a heartbreaking performance as a washed-up old wrestler pounded
down by life. The Wrestler, which is set in the down and out world of New Jersey trailer parks, wrestling
arenas and strip clubs, is a departure from Aronofsky’s last three, more meditative films, Pi, Requiem for
a Dream and The Fountain.