Best Directors: Darren Aronofsky

Darren Aronofsky is one of the best directors currently working, due to his attention to detail, real characters and unique story lines.

Watching an Aronofsky film is like looking at a painting by a meticulous painter who considered every brush stroke, every shade of color, every aspect of his creation. In Aronofsky's latest film, "Black Swan," multiple sound effects can barely be heard (the flapping of wings, low frequency rumblings, etc.), as if they were subconscious. The effect they have is almost undetectable, and yet it makes the film so much more complex. In his second film, "Requiem For A Dream," Aronofsky uses extreme close ups paired with amplified, exaggerated sound effects for a creative montage that underscores each character's addiction. Aronofsky knows that the more thought you put into something, the better it will be.

His characters, while the story line might not always be taken literally, are real and heart-breaking. Aronofsky's most gentle film, "The Wrestler," exemplifies this the most. In it, washed up wrestler Randy clings to the fame and adoration that his sport brings while getting older, less able, and more fragile. All the while, Randy realizes his loneliness and tries to assuage it with having sex, attempting to mend broken relationships, and continuing wrestling, even after he has a heart attack. Randy's hopelessness and sadness are poignant to the point of tears. Aronofsky takes characters and forces audiences to empathize with them.

All five of Aronofsky's films expertly handle the topic of obsession, an interesting and necessary topic for audiences to consider. In his films, Aronofsky shows real situations of obsession, not fake, overdone plotlines that lack creativity. In Aronofsky's first film, "Pi," the main character is obsessed with numbers and tries to find a pattern that will predict the stock market, a task that ultimately consumes him. In "The Fountain," the main character is possessed by the notion that he can find the tree of life and live forever with his wife. He becomes so obsessed that his life becomes enslaved to the idea, completely overtaking him. Aronofsky knows that anything can become an addiction, and if left unchecked, it probably will.

With only five films under his belt, Aronofsky has yet to make a film that lacks depth or complexity, has flat characters, or a traditional storyline. It looks like he might become a staple of American filmmaking with his current work and his work to come.