From 1998’s Pi to a string of provocative, acclaimed and controversial (sometimes) movies, Darren Aronofsky has proven one of the best and most original filmmakers of his generation. Movies like Requiem For a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan, Noah, mother! and more have caused a stir, won praise as well as disdain, awards, you name it. In other words, his movies get talked about.
His latest film The Whale is no different in that regard and premiered to a six-minute standing ovation in September at the Venice Film Festival. Last weekend, it set a 2022 opening box office record for specialty releases, and has continued to earn strong Oscar buzz — especially for its star Brendan Fraser. The story of a 600-pound man desperately trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter (Sadie Sink) is another highlight in the career of Aronofsky, who had the property — originally a stage play written by Sam Hunter (who also wrote the screenplay) — for 10 years before the right elements finally came together for the A24 release, which goes out wider Wednesday.
Aronofsky joins me for this week’s episode of my Deadline video series Behind the Lens, where we cover his entire career including his flirtations with making Batman and Robocop movies; his prodigious producing career that includes two other 2022 films – The Good Nurse and documentary The Territory; his beginnings at AFI and Harvard; the unique stories he finds himself drawn to time and again; and much more.
To watch our conversation, click on the video above.
Join me every Friday during Oscar season for another edition of Behind the Lens.
