The aging hero who battles time and wins – now here is a story the grace of which never fails to embrace us, and brought to the silver screen by way of Darren Aronofsky’s vision, its warm reception at the Venice Film Festival is perfectly explainable.

Mickey Rourke has made a remarkable comeback and he knows it. A box office draw in the 1980s, it sure has been a while since Rourke had a critically acclaimed lead role which was at the same time bolstered by strong ticket sales in theaters.

“The Wrestler,” directed by the above-mentioned Darren Aronofsky, looks set to change this situation. For starters, his performance as the title character, the wrestler, an aging professional boxer who cannot come to terms with the fact that time has taken its toll on him, has earned Rourke the Venice Film Festival’s coveted Golden Lion awards.

Rourke appeared on stage with Aronofsky to collect his trophy and expressed his heartfelt gratitude for such a career opportunity.

Leading the jury of the 65th edition of the world’s oldest film festival, German filmmaker Wim Wenders praised Rourke’s work as “a truly heartbreaking performance, in the very sense of the word.”

The intended wordplay referred to Rourke’s character, Randy “The Ram” Robinson, whose glory days in the ring come to a stop once he develops heart problems.

Robinson’s problems of the heart are not only medical but also emotional, as he struggles to build a relationship with his daughter and falls in love with an aging stripper portrayed by Marisa Tomei.

Upon receiving his award, Rourke thanked the jury and lauded Aronofsky because “he doesn’t compromise and he wants to make movies that are not that expensive, that have a lot of integrity,” just like “The Wrestler.”

The film is scheduled for release later this year.