Black Swan Review: Beautifully Terrifying



The movie I’m most excited about this year is about ballet?...

Black Swan is a fascinating portrayal of self obsession that eventually leads main character Nina Sayers into complete madness for the pursuit of perfection. Natalie Portman’s performance is outstanding and really carries the film through with intensity. It’s clear she really trained hard for this and plays a remarkably believable part of the New York ballet production of Swan Lake.

Although consumed with her dance she is kind and good natured, who wants to be the best and never disappoint anyone. Including her smothering theatre mother, who gave up ballet to have a daughter and still holds it against her by projecting most of her own flaws on to her. The movie does a good job of subtly implying most of the tension in their relationship with Nina’s history of cutting and scratching alluded to, without beating you over the head with it.

If the stress of home wasn’t enough for this character she still has to deal with pressure of getting the coveted role of the Swan Queen, something she has trained most of her life for. The problem comes with the duality of the role, no one can argue her technical prowess exceeds the other ballet dancers. Her trainer Thomas Leroy (based on Balanchine) believes she is in fact the perfect embodiment of the White Swan, virginal and fearful.

The Black Swan however is the temptress, the seducer of the audience, something she has no experience of and requires letting go of the strict technical disciplines she’s focused on. The trainer notices many of the Black Swans characteristics in another dancer Lily who’s wild and fearless nature make her reckless technically, but exciting to watch.

Lily is not only a rival but a vision of what she must become to be the Black Swan, in essence Nina is trying to find herself as a woman and it means giving up her innocence and control. The Black swan becomes a second Identity of Nina and is a horrifying, unrelenting presence that is constantly out to change who she is.

Watching Nina degenerate through the nightmarish cinematography can only be described as beautifully terrifying and while heart breaking to watch what happens to this beautiful loving girl it’s fascinating at the same time. Director Darren Aronofsky who up until now I have had a hard time not mentioning is nothing less than a visionary independent film maker. This is a director that’s never not made a great film in his career and his movies are cult classics in their own right.

Just look at his body of work!!! Pii 1998, Requiem of Dream 2000, The Wrestler 2008, Black Swan 2010. If you look at all these films though they have one single main theme in them and that is self destruction. Something Aronofsky has a better grasp on than any director in Hollywood. It's rather crushing though to think that a director with so much talent had to fight to get each one of these films to be made. At least now he’s starting to get the recognition he deserves with an Oscar worthy film.

Black Swan is smart edge of your seat entertainment but if you are not familiar with Aronofsky’s other work it may leave you shell shocked. Working in a Cinema I love watching the silhouetted faces jaws dropp watching this film. When it ends they are left to process what they have watched and have a hard time really putting it into words. This is not feel good entertainment; it’s a thinking man’s film. That said I would recommend you watch Requiem of Dream first If you havent already as its probably the most talked about Aronofsky film and a must see.

This is not a ballet film it’s a psychological thriller that borders on horror. Tchaikovsky score will get your heart beating but extensively its Natalie Portman’s 110% go for broke performance that really holds the film together and makes it a worthwhile watch.

Boydee Blog Rating: 5/5 scary toenail clippings