...In which our heroine reviews "The Wrestler"

Despite it being Parents Weekend, Kathleen and I made the trek up to our very first film festival last night. The Chicago International Film Festival started Thursday night, premiering with The Brothers Bloom and last night The Wrestler was one of the sold out shows.

Without giving too much away, The Wrestler is Darren Aronofsky's newest film. It stars Mickey Rourke as a washed-up wrestler, Randy "The Ram" Robinson, whose former glory has now faded, and spends time in the small-time, hardcore wrestling circuit, trying to relive times gone by. He's estranged from his daughter, Evan Rachel Wood, and is trying hard to make a spark with someone else past their prime, a stripper played by Marisa Tomei, who just for the record looks fantastic for someone in their 40s.

That's all I'm giving away in terms of plot because it's better left as a suprise. I was admittedly a little worried by the premise of pro-wrestling, but that worry all faded away once the film started.

You can't talk about this film without talking about how utterly brutal and wonderful Mickey Rourke is. He was the famous bad boy heartthrob before my time, so my reference point for him is of the half-crazy character with the messed up face. I loved him as Marv in Sin City and this film makes you feel even more sympathy for that kind of pathetic brute character. He's just so heartbreakingly pathetic and at heart, a decent guy, that it makes his struggles incredibly difficult to watch. Again, without giving too much away, I will be shocked if his name doesn't come up around Oscar time.

The Wrestler is a huge departure for Aronofsky in terms of content and style. Gone are the lush images and dreamscapes of Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain and in their place is a highly brutal film, shot by a documentary crew Aronofsky hired to get maximum realism. No more montage sequences of shooting up or visits to Mayan ruins. Mickey Rourke looks like shit now, and Aronofsky uses lots of close-ups to not shy away from this.

In a lot of ways, The Wrestler was my favorite Aronofsky film so far. It was more relatable, more about character than style, more intimate and moving. I felt so totally drained at the end I couldn't even cry. The year's other films are going to have to be pretty damn great to be better than this. But you'll be able to see for yourself when it rolls out in December.

And to put icing on the cake, Aronofsky (right) was at the screening and did a Q&A after. He's the dork you'd expect, and was very complimentary to the world of wrestling and the talent of Mickey Rourke. He talked a lot about Pi, Requiem, and The Fountain being one chapter of films, and this movie starting the next. I totally agree. I just wish Aronofsky would have brought his lovely and talented wife Rachel Weisz along so I could gawk.