2009 Spirit award winners

Feature

“The Wrestler” was a comeback not only for Mickey Rourke’s acting career, but also for director Darren Aronofsky. After the poorly received sci-fi film “The Fountain,” it was difficult to predict quite what he would try as a follow-up. The straightforward story of Randy "The Ram" Robinson resonated with audiences while also taking an unflinching look at a down-and-out wrestler living on the fringes of society. "We finished the film two days before," Aronofsky said of last year's Venice premiere. "Literally a year ago today, we were in a strip club shooting Marissa Tomei on a pole. It's been an incredible ride in less than a year."

(Reporting by George Ducker, Metromix)