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

Having been raised in a Christian household, and a relatively devout one, the stories of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament were ingrained in me from a very young age. Or so I thought. I later learned that the stories I thought I knew from childhood were merely family-friendly versions of some rather grim mythological material—the Disney versions of scripture, if you will. In some instances, there were some disturbing details I was aware of but didn’t fully grasp, such as Abraham being manipulated into sacrificing his only child and then having the rug pulled out from beneath him; in others, there were particulars completely omitted because they’re not at all suitable for children, such as Abraham’s nephew Lot being date raped by his two daughters.

5) Cranky Noah

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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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