(Author’s Full Name)
Film Studies:
Every filmmaker has their own unique style of storytelling. Some focus on science fiction while others are known for their romantic/dramatic ventures. While the story changes, the theme, setting and character development remains the same in all their movies. Hollywood Director Darren Aronofsky, one of the most prominent movie makers in the world, is no exception to such rule. This paper analyzes the similarities and differences between four of Aronofsky’s famous works; Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain and Black Swan.
Almost all of Aronofsky’s films have a claustrophobic theme a character-centered plot. The film is shown through the eyes of the characters involved; their story and struggles. Often, his characters are either very lonely or are obsessed with something/someone.
In Pi, the character max is obsessed with the number itself. Similarly, Sara Goldfard is desperate to lose weight, Tom wants to find a cure for death and Nina is immersed in her dark role in the movies Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain and Black Swan respectively.
In both Black Swan and Requiem, the protagonists are portrayed as shy and lonely women who lack confidence. Similarly, in Pi and The Fountain, the lead characters are both scientists seeking the impossible. When presented with a life-changing opportunity, these characters become obsessed with achieving their targets, to the extent of destroying them.
Whilst the theme is the same for all, the plots are different. In Requiem, Sara’s addiction to weight-loss tablets gives her hallucinations of appearing in a TV show while, in Black Swan, Nina’s own fears and lack of self-belief makes her visualize a doppelganger. In Pi, Max already suffers from paranoia and anxiety attacks while, in Fountain, Tom is driven to madness in his attempts to save the life of his wife.
