So me and my friend Lance both felt like checking out the hype and seeing The Wrestler last night. All in all it had some great acting performances, and despite some rough edges (a fourth of the movie takes place in a topless bar) there were a few moments that really stood out.
The prominent theme of the movie is loneliness, and the main character's search to be with somebody, anybody. 'The Ram' tries reconnecting with his estranged daughter, and it is going pretty well with a moment capped off by him owning up that he doesn't deserve to have anybody in his life, he just doesn't want his daughter to hate him. It made me stop and think just how many people have been reduced to simply not wanting to be hated. Talk about desolation. Here is a man who's only confidante is a stripper whom he has to pay to spend time with. I got the feeling he was paying her more to talk to him than anything else. It made me think of how many people pay psychiatrists to listen for an hour at a time.
Another major theme was brokenness. Everything in the movie was rundown; the people, the homes, the setting... everything. The Ram was as he described, "an old broken down piece of meat". He didn't just talk about it either, he lived it. Years of abuse in the ring, drug abuse, and emotional abuse had obviously taken it's toll on the Ram. One of the turning points of the movie comes when preparing for a match, the Ram agrees to take a staplegun and barbwire into the upcoming match. You can immediately see the regret in his eyes, but he goes with it because he is completely broken, anything to put on a show seems like a good idea.
Cassidy, the stripper deals with the same issues. She is way too old to be doing what she is doing, but she continues on because she has nothing else to fall back on. She would be the saddest character in the movie if it wasn't for her attempt at the end to reach out to the Ram for something more than what she has.
Lastly, a surprising theme to the movie is family. The Ram finishes the movie by declaring that his family are the fans there to see him wrestle, put his abused body in the ring, and put his life at risk. It's a sad story. Here is a man who has completely turned his back on those who he desires to love (his daughter, and cassidy) to seek the applause of people who have essentially abandoned him outside of the ring.
I think this movie resonates with our culture on several levels. First, I think we have to take a look at the way we elevate celebrities only to throw them away for the next big thing. Mickey Rourke, the main actor, is a perfect example of how our culture treats the 'former stars'. Talk about perfect casting. Secondly, I would hope that people who are in a world of extreme loneliness would take from this that there is always a way out, a person who is willing to take you no matter where you are at, and He is willing to heal you from the scars that others can not easily see. Lastly, I think this movie speaks to abusive relationships, and how hard they are to leave behind. As much as we want to leave something behind, it's so hard to leave the only thing you know.
My prayer is that we can reach out to those that need a hand. That we can lend a kind ear to those who need to be heard, and will call people to find their value in God's eyes and not the world's.
one love, one heart.
