Aronofsky’s Two Visions of the Ecological Fall

The unfolding ecological crisis is often blamed on an excerpt from the bible, according to which humans should “[b]e fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). This command is repeatedly contrasted with another, saying that “[t]he LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Gen 2:15). Could the current climate change have been avoided if the “second” command had carried more weight? Darren Aronofsky directed two films that deal with this question. In Noah (2014), it is the “second,” “eco-friendly” command that seems to reflect the intent of God; therefore, the secular techno-capitalist development of humankind, which is leading to an ecological disaster, is a revolt against this command and a manifestation of the Fall. As opposed to this, mother!, made three years later, suggests that it is the intertwining of the Christian tradition with patriarchy and anthropocentrism that lies behind the destruction of the environment, which in turn implies that the disaster can actually be interpreted as an adherence to the “first” command. (AH)