17. Darren Aronofsky

Steven, Benjamin, and Sean strap in for a cinematic panic attack as we dive head-first into the bleak, obsessive, beautifully unhinged world of Darren Aronofsky. From the head-drilling mathematical madness of Pi, to the operatic nightmare of Requiem For a Dream – the cinematic equivalent of being run over by a train made of violins and bad decisions – continuing through the cosmic grief of The Fountain to the broken bodies of The Wrestler and Black Swan, all the way to the allegorical chaos of Mother! We talk intensity, we talk craft, we talk about films that make you want to lie down in a dark room after being exposed to them. Along the way, we compare notes on Aronofsky’s obsessions; spirals, self destruction, devotion, bodily harm, and the kind of sound design that makes your teeth clench. Is he a genius? A madman? A prophet of doom? Or all three in a hoodie? Join us as we pick apart the artistry, the agony, and the adrenaline of one of modern cinema’s most intense filmmakers.