The only movie Darren Aronofsky needed to watch twice in a row: “Didn’t move”

Posted On August 31, 2025August 31, 2025

It’s safe to say that most Darren Aronofsky films need to be seen at least twice, even if you can think of absolutely nothing worse.

Known for his psychological dramas, the director is the master of uncomfortable cinema that messes with your head so much you might leave thinking, “What did I just watch?” Whether you think he’s a provocateur or a hack, the one thing we can all agree on is that his work can be perplexing, thought-provoking and difficult to stomach.

Whether it’s examining the brutality of drug addiction in Requiem for a Dream or exploring the rapid destruction of ecosystems around the world through a metafictional allegory in Mother!, Aronofsky’s works are often heavy, dark and confusing. They can take a lot of work while sitting in the cinema and are not usually ones you can just sit back and be entertained by. So often, we could probably glean more from them on a second watch, but just as often, viewers probably don’t want to do that as they’re just so distressing or unpleasant.

But, of course, for Aronofsky himself, the best thing you can do when you see a disturbing film is watch it again. Not to evaluate it, but for enjoyment. As that’s apparently what he found with Angel Heart. In a tweet, he explained that when he was a teenager backpacking through Europe, he would often take to movie theatres to escape the rain.

“Saw Alan Parker’s Angel Heart that way in Paris & it was the first time I sat through credits and watched a film again. Didn’t move,” he reminisced after the director’s death in 2020. Parker’s Angel Heart was a 1987 psychological neo-noir adaptation of William Hjortsberg’s novel Falling Angel. It follows Mickey Rourke as a NYC private investigator who finds himself embroiled in a series of gruesome murders in New Orleans after being hired by a mysterious, cane-wielding Robert De Niro to find a missing crooner. 

While the film received mixed reviews at the time, Aronofsky was certainly sure of his feelings. He felt so struck by it that he felt the need to just sit right through another viewing. It’s not often that we can find films that call us to do so. Although it’s not shocking that this is the film he cites, considering that many of the criticisms and praise for Angel Heart are similar to those levelled at the director, too. 

While Rourke and De Niro’s performances were praised, Parker’s quick and choppy editing style was criticised as over-stylised, while the plot was often seen as convoluted and expositional. His hand was wrung as well to cut ten seconds of a graphic sex scene from his final version to escape an X rating. In the same way, Aronofsky is frequently criticised for his gratuitous use of sex and violence, and his often overly complicated or confusing psychological plots.

It’s clear that he has a lot of respect for the late director, Parker, who shares so many similarities with him. “Got to meet him years later. Generous with his wisdom,” he said of the filmmaker. Parker’s other films include the likes of Pink Floyd – The Wall, Mississippi Burning and The Commitments, so the thread of respect and possibly influence runs quite clear.

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