Aronofsky definitely knows how to gain a reaction from people. If there is a problem with it then one could possibly see it in his AMA on Reddit while searching through the highlights. The one point of caution would be that you should be ready to defend your view against those who happen to like, love, and idolize Darren’s point of view and film making techniques. There are people out there who are so intent upon their movies that they’ll seek to argue you under the table in an effort to defend Aronofsky’s point of view and his films.
For the most part he’s pretty straightforward about what he does most times, but he can be a bit evasive when he wants to be. In some people this might be a sign that they lack confidence in their own vision and are trying to explain just why they did something by taking a circuitous route from the question back to an answer that might please the questioner. Darren however seems intent on getting a reaction out of just about anyone. It tends to work more often than not since people usually want answers, not an evasion as they’re led towards an answer that comes from their own subconscious. Honestly, listen to Darren talk and then tell me he’s completely straightforward. A lot of director give answers in a lot of different ways, but the difference between an evasive answer and a straightforward answer is that you’ll feel far more satisfied by the latter even if it’s an answer that doesn’t fit with your beliefs.
Aronofsky’s films are something of a conundrum when you really look at them and how they’re meant to affect the viewers. To be honest they are far more cerebral than many other films that you might watch, but if you look past the twisting plot points and through to the heart of the film then you find something rather disturbing. The core of his films don’t change. They’re either very simple or horribly complex, but they don’t change. There is almost always something in an Aronofsky film that will allude to the core of the movie being set into place. There will be shocking moments. There will be moments that are difficult if not impossible to watch. But there will always be that one core moment that will have the ability to bring everything back into focus.
His filming techniques and methods are a big part of his mystique and allow him to capture the viewer’s attention in a number of ways as one simply tries to keep up with Darren’s tempo, be it extremely fast or insanely slow. From the reactions of his fans it’s obvious that he knows very well how to grab hold of a person’s attention and keep it for the entirety of a film.
With Mother! there might be a few moments in the film where a viewer can catch their breath, but it is almost guaranteed that they will feel the plunge second later as they are forced back into the miasma that is Aronofsky’s vision.
Whether you do or don’t like his work, the one thing anyone and everyone should be able to agree on is that he knows how to get a reaction.
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