7 Aspects Of Darren Aronofsky’s Noah That Are Surprisingly Biblical

5) Cranky Noah

You could say that the Hebrew protagonists take after their Lord. Old Testament heroes, the patriarchs, judges and prophets, are rarely all that virtuous. Particularly the early figures like Abraham and Moses are famous for arguing with God, making their case, and sometimes outright refusing to follow his orders. Noah isn’t exactly developed in the Bible; in fact, he has no lines at all. There’s nothing to really tell us what he’s supposed to be like, so Noah models him after his prophetic brethren, gives us reason to believe those who knew him would find him scornful or crazy, and makes him faithful to a fault. We’re meant to question whether faithfulness to an unmerciful God is admirable, because Noah’s loyalty is almost entirely unwavering.

It ought to also be said that this character and Russell Crowe were made for each other. After years of being cast in unsuitable roles, finally Crowe’s defiantly understated acting style gets to be employed in a character who is appropriately exhausted at all times. He looks like he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, in his face and his posture, the way he moves, and the way he speaks. Every speech he gives could be prefaced by a long sigh. He is duty-bound, even if he doesn’t agree with the task he believes he’s being asked to carry out. That, understandably, takes a toll, and his disposition reflects that. It’s hard out here for a prophet.

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