By Shawn Valentino, PWTorch Specialist

When we think of adjectives to describe the art form known as professional wrestling, we think of terms like spectacular, larger-than-life, athletic, entertaining, and tragic. Yes, tragic, because unfortunately, despite the phenomenal depiction of athletic ability and charismatic personalities that pro wrestling presents to its fans, that excitement is not without a price. Sadly, the performances that bring so much joy to their fans often have bitter consequences for the athletes.

Darren Aronofsky's compelling new film "The Wrestler" gives us a glimpse into a few months in the life of one such performer. Randy "The Ram" Robinson, played by Mickey Rourke in an unforgettable performance, is a former headliner desperately hanging on to whatever traces are left of his past glory.

His superstar heyday is illustrated to the audience in a beautiful opening montage of magazine covers and promotional posters from his 1980s prime. For any long-time fans of the business, the sequence is a nostalgic journey down memory lane, when fans would sit for hours at magazine shops reading about their favorite superstars and would anxiously await the big card to come to their local city so they could cheer them on.

Precise attention to detail is paid to these images and the viewer is transported back in time to an era where bigger than life personalities ruled the wrestling landscape, and fans still yearned to believe that the outcome to these battles was actually in doubt. A subtle homage is paid to that wrestling era, including a headline that depicts one of Robinson's matches as "The Megapowers of 1989 Collide," a tribute to the classic feud between "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan.

The opening collage paints the portrait of a man who was worshipped as a national hero, and gives us a template to contrast the broken man that exists today. Robinson is now a performer on the independent wrestling circuit who struggles from paycheck to paycheck and between odd jobs to sustain his meager living conditions in a trailer park community.

Despite his epic fall, The Ram is still an eminently likable man, whose charm and charisma has not faded with his finances and fame. Even when we see him working in the deli of a grocery store, the magnetic persona that made him such a star in the ring is evident. His showmanship brightens the day of the shoppers just like his wrestling skills thrilled his fans in the ring.

On the independent circuit, Robinson is treated with adulation by his fellow performers and fans eager for a trip down memory lane. The bittersweet sequences of the wrestlers interacting behind the scenes provide an intimate and respectful picture of an often misunderstood form of entertainment. They are not portrayed as brain-dead Neanderthals looking for an adrenaline rush, but skillful performers who genuinely love the art of the wrestling match, and care not only to electrify the fans but also for the camaraderie with their fellow athletes.

Viewers can smile at the support and admiration they have for their craft, but also are saddened by the toll that it takes on their bodies and their futures. In these sequences, Aronofsky not only skillfully illustrates the passion and dedication that goes into the creation of a match; he also provides a revealing exploration of a man literally and figuratively hanging by the ropes.

The scenes in the ring tell a story just as much as the journey behind the scenes. When the camera follows Robinson performing his heart out - risking his life in an attempt to relive his illustrious past - the viewer feels as if he or she is there with him. Every bump that his bruised body suffers is depicted with such vivid, and often brutal, detail that the audience cannot help but feel sympathy for the man. The first act of the film showcases The Ram in a variety of wrestling venues - from high school gyms to gruesome independent hardcore organizations.

Nearly as difficult to watch as the painful struggles in the ring are the pathetic acts of desperation outside of it. He attempts to sell his memorabilia in empty rooms at legends signings. He is a man stuck in the past, painstakingly trying to grasp the splendor of previous years. When he holds his old action figure or plays himself in a relic video game, the inability to accept the reality of his present despair is apparent. The man who was a headlining icon twenty years before is now a mere shell of the man he once was, stubbornly attempting to hold onto the last rays of the sunset of his career.

The scars and agony he faces in the ring do not compare to the emotional pain he feels in his personal life. He suffers from that most depressing of human emotions, loneliness. His relationship with his daughter is estranged due to him basking in the glory of being a wrestling superstar while neglecting his duties and responsibilities as a father. His financial prospects are also in ruins, likely due to his excesses and disregard for his future. His health is in shambles from years of abuse to his body both from the bumps in the ring and the substance abuse out of it.

The film really develops its emotional center as it follows Ram following a life-threatening heart attack that forces him to reexamine his life and attempt to find the happiness that has eluded him outside the squared circle. Rourke's tour de force performance as Robinson tugs on the audience's heartstrings without being too manipulative or contrived.

This is a story of a man who is flawed and saddened but genuinely wants to make good for his past wrongs and find peace with himself and what is left of his family. The scenes of him attempting to salvage the connection to his apprehensive daughter are nothing short of heartbreaking.

Even more compelling is his relationship to a stripper named Cassidy, in a sensational performance by Marisa Tomei. Like "The Ram," she is also a broken soul and a lonely woman trapped in an industry that chews up its performers and spits them out. The parallel connections between the wrestler and the stripper - two industries frowned upon by mainstream society - make up the heart of the film. Cassidy is also attempting to hang onto whatever she can get as younger beauties garner the men's attention and their dollars. Unlike Robinson, she clings to her line of work, not so much because of its "glory" but to fulfill her duties to raising her child.

The two main characters unwillingly develop a complicated bond born out of loneliness and mutual understanding in a world that they felt has deserted them. It is a tribute to the acting chops of Rourke and Tomei that they are able to bring such complex characterizations to the screen with such depth and feeling, as well as make the viewer sympathize with their plight.

They are both in an identity crisis and it plagues their every encounter. The Ram's identity is so intertwined with his wrestling character that the sheer mention of his real name sets off his insecurity and his inability to adapt to the real world outside the arena. Cassidy has become so jaded by her job as a stripper entertaining clients that she can nary form a real relationship with a man, even one she cares about.

It is a painful depiction of two decent, caring people shattered by their lifestyle choices, but scared and unable to escape the worlds they have created for themselves. They are both trapped in professions made for the young, but with no real retirement age, so it sucks in their performers way past their expiration date. To call the relationship a romance would not do it justice as it is one of the most fascinating relationships between two characters that has been brought to the screen in years.

Robinson's attempts to reach out to his alienated daughter as well as to make a connection with the aging stripper are the desperate attempts of a broken man struggling for redemption. Although his tribulations may have been largely his own creation, The Ram's innate decency and kindness make the viewer hope he finds the contentment he seeks.

When he decides to return to wrestling in the climactic rematch of the epic main event from twenty years prior, we know that there will be no happy ending. The outcome of the match is really irrelevant as the mere decision to return the ring indicates his surrender to the world that has crashed down on him.

This film is a brilliant work of art. As an expose on the wrestling business, it is a well-researched, intelligent portrayal of the sport and that shows the love and support between the real men outside of the ring are just as important as the combat between the characters they play in it.

This film is not just about wrestling, but uses the sport as an allegory for the excruciating depths of loneliness and desperation of a man trying to find his place in the world. Fans of the squared circle will be especially moved because of our knowledge that too many of the heroes we have looked up to growing up have suffered similar plights, and went on to untimely deaths because of their addiction to the dark side of the wrestling world.

The depth and conviction with which the characters display their agonizing emotions will strike a chord not only with wrestling fans but with anyone with a heartbeat. "The Wrestler" is a genuine modern American tragedy.

Please seed questions, comments and feedback to valentino.torch@gmail.com

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