Black Swan Review

 There are no spoilers in this review.

PLOT: A ballet dancer finally gets her big break when she is chosen for the main role of the Swan Queen in an alternative version of Swan Lake, but she must deal with the pressures of performing and the rivals who want her role.


THE GOOD: Darren Aronofsky. Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky is genius. Just pure genius. He has not made a single movie that disappointed me. Some people would be quick to point out The Fountain, but I still liked that film a lot. When I first heard about Black Swan, I was worried that we were just going to get a carbon-copy of The Wrestler. To say the least, I was worried. My anticipation for this film was low and remained low until I got to see it. And it blew my mind away. Aronofsky's direction has never been so bold and captivating. A lot of people are indeed comparing this movie to The Wrestler, but I compare it more to Pi, Aronofsky's first full-length film. Reason being is that Pi and Black Swan are both about people going crazy trying to figure something out. You can expect to see an Oscar nomination for the D.A.

Acting. Natalie Portman's best performance of her career. Easily. Her character of Nina goes through every emotion imaginable. She was amazing. You can tell that she put a lot of hard work into her character. Oscar nom for her, definitely. She was supported by other great actors as well. Vincent Cassel did a fabulous job playing Thomas Leroy, the ballet's director. Mila Kunis, while not exactly having a breakthrough performance, was quite capable of handling Lily. I was also very impressed with Barbara Hershey who plays Nina's mom.

Cinematography and editing. All of the hand-held camera work was perfect for this movie. I mentioned in my Deathly Hallows: Part 1 review how there is a time and a place to use the shaky hand-held effect. Harry Potter is not one of them, but Black Swan totally is. It adds this sense of edginess and realism. This is further enhanced by the use of super-16 film. The movie is grainy and has this great natural feel to it. I really liked the shots following Nina from behind as well as from the front when she goes to visit the hospital. There was a great transition right there, too. Also enjoyed how the club scene was shot and cut. Actually I really loved that whole sequence. The strobe effect and the loud music. Following Nat out of the club. Very cool. And I cannot fail to mention the camera work done around all the ballet dancing. The camera weaves in and out of the performers; from being in the far corner to being right up in the actors' faces. Watching the cameramen dance around the characters must have been just as beautiful to watch as the ballet itself. Matthew Libatique, Kristina Boden, and Andrew Weisblum deserve a lot of credit. Wouldn't be surprised to see any of these people nominated for an Oscar.

Score. Composer Clint Mansell is a long-time collaborator with Darren Aronofsky. Black Swan marks the fifth time the two have worked together. Mansell used Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake as inspiration for the score. I was thinking of ballet music the whole time. Some of it was played backwards and distorted. The best use of it is at the end during what I guess would be called "the big reveal". It really pumps up the sequence. Too bad he's not eligible for the Oscars since he used Tchaikovsky's material. Oh well.


THE BAD: Nothing.

THE END: Black Swan has exactly what I look for in film. Original stories told in unique ways. Black Swan uses film as an art form; not just mindless entertainment. It brings something new to the scene. Most movies that come out really can't say that. Black Swan is a love-it-or-hate-it movie though. The critics are generally favorable towards the movie, but for those who disliked it, boy, they really disliked it. That being said, my point is that this film is not for everyone. There will be those that will find it too dark or too boring. So be it, but for me, this is a movie that should be seen by all. Easily one of the best films of the year. Go see Black Swan now.


DISCUSS: Did you like Black Swan? What is your favorite Darren Aronofsky movie? Did you like the acting in the film? Was there anything in particular that you did not enjoy about the movie? How do you feel about Aronofsky directing The Wolverine?