The Wrestler : The NYFF Press Conference

The big buzz on the festival circuit this year is Darren Aronofsky's fourth movie The Wrestler, which has garnered many fans since debuting at the Cannes Film Festival back in May before playing the Venice and Toronto film festivals last month, the former where it won the coveted Golden Lion for the director and the latter where it was picked up for distribution by Fox Searchlight. Much of the buzz has centered around the comeback performance by Mickey Rourke as Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a has-been wrestler who twenty years after his heyday is still wrestling and doing irreparable damage to his body. After a life-threatening heart attack, it seems doubtful "The Ram" will fight again, but can he adjust to life among the "normal" people of New Jersey? Rourke gives a heart-rendering performance, but he's equally impressive with... [read full story]