Darren Aronofsky finds his softness

Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:

Darren Aronofsky’s swan, Andrea Arnold's bird, Chris Rock's drinking, and our favorite tramp.

Let’s go!

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DARREN ARONOFSKY FINDS HIS SOFTNESS

Requiem for a Dream. Artisan Entertainment.

Little Death is an experiment in extreme psychosis.

The Darren Aronofsky-produced Sundance feature film, which just clinched the Innovator Award and was directed by first-timer Jack Begert, is exceptional in two categories.

The first is its ultra-impressionistic stylization of a writer's psychosis, and although indicative of Requiem for a Dream, finds its own kind of beautiful maximalist voice pounded through David Schwimmer's sweaty, hyperactive persona as he pushes through roadblocks in pursuit of his first feature film.

The movie also finds its softness.

As the film gravitates toward the second half, we see a hyperreal, ultra-mellow version of a Los Angeles experience played out by 20-something troublemakers.

This beautiful turning of a coin where each set of characters in the movie is ensconced in separate dilemmas came out of an unexpected place.

At the Sundance Q&A, Begert recounted an incident about his friend going ballistic after being charged extra for tartar sauce at a fish taco stand:

“I remember standing there being like, this is like ruining his entire month. Like, this is crazy. Like, I can't believe this, that he's living in this reality… And then I remember thinking, you know what? That's not fair. There's definitely stuff that would like make me spiral for a month.”