7. Darren Aronofsky
Filmography:
Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan. Darren Aronofsky has a vision that he refuses to compromise - one of the very few who still act like that. Some of his films split opinion, most notably The Fountain, but the film is an absorbing work with high ambition, dealing with themes such as death, love, religion and metaphysics. It's impossible to look away from and contains Hugh Jackman's finest screen performance. His films go perpetually underrated due to their dark abstract nature and inaccessibility, but Requiem for a Dream remains a large cult favourite and Black Swan brought Aronofsky some more mainstream acclaim. His movies are haunting and sometimes scary, not in the conventional sense, but because of their rawness and explicitly naked emotion. The Wrestler contains one of the best central performances of recent years in what's Aronofsky's most toned down film, style-wise. Aronofsky loves to use extreme close-ups and fast edits and that creates a unique visual style across his movies. If he possessed less flair, his movies, in particular Requiem for a Dream would suffer heavily for it. Aronofsky expertly forges intense atmospheres, much like a horror director and his grainy visual style could easily be out of a 70's horror flick, which is what makes Aronofsky unique. Lots of his films shouldn't work, especially in the style they are shot, but every last one of his films are extraordinary to watch, challenging the audience to the end.