Bodies in Pain: Emotion and the Cinema of Darren Aronofsky

by Tarja Laine

The films of Darren Aronofsky invite emotional engagement by means of affective resonance between the film and the spectator's lived body. Aronofsky's films, which include a rich range of production from Requiem for a Dream to Black Swan, are often considered "cerebral" because they explore topics like mathematics, madness, hallucinations, obsessions, social anxiety, addiction, psychosis, schizophrenia, and neuroscience. Yet this interest in intelligence and mental processes is deeply embedded in the operations of the body, shared with the spectator by means of a distinctively corporeal audiovisual style. Bodies in Pain looks at how Aronofsky's films engage the spectator in an affective form of viewing that involves all the senses, ultimately engendering a process of (self) reflection through their emotional dynamics.

247 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Pietro Bonfante]

I don’t understand why the rating is so low. This book is perfectly written and it carefully takes into account many references and opinions from experts. It really is a book to study for people who love cinema. The language at times might be difficult to understand.

[Casey Kiser]

Some repetitive points here and there but overall, an amazing book and a must-read for fans of this bold director who always forces us to explore emotions outside of our comfort zone.