Black Swan (2010)

Film: Black Swan (2010)

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel

This review has been long overdue, since I saw this film a good few weeks ago now. It has also been reviewed to death and as a result Aronofsky's Black Swan quickly became the must-see movie of early 2011, so if you are reading this, I assume you have already seen it as the majority of us have. Thus, I'll keep this (relatively) short.

Black Swan tells the story of New York City ballet dancer Nina Sayers (Portman), who can't believe her luck when she is awarded the lead in a new rendition of 'Swan Lake'. Sayers is handed the role of the graceful White Swan, as well as the much darker and sinister Black Swan, and so has the difficult job of playing two drastically different roles. As the film progresses, Sayers doesn't just have trouble differentiating between the parts on stage, but also in her head, as Black Swan turns into a roller-coaster ride of schizophrenia and fear. Nina has to battle the objects in her life constantly; the pressure of playing both the White and Black Swan, the threat that fellow dancer Lily (Kunis) is out to get her and steal her part, and Nina's obsessive mother (played brilliantly by Barbara Hershey) who suffocates her with adoration and over-the-top mothering. Nina has to contend with all of this whilst simultaneously turning into a nutcase as the pressure gets a bit too much and our dear Nina struggles to tell the difference between reality and her imagination.

This is ultimately the defining theme throughout Black Swan, especially in the last 30-45 minutes of the film. As you sit and watch what occurs on screen, the nice film about ballet dancers turns into a thrilling and psychotic tale of pain and suffering. By the end of the film you can't tell what you've just witnessed actually happened or if you yourself made it up, like Nina often did. From the director of Pi and Requiem For a Dream, I really should have expected nothing less. Aronofsky's bread and butter as a director is his ability to frighten us silly with the realities we face everyday (which makes me think, if he wanted to, he could become quite a good horror director). Whether it's the morbid and depressing realisation of drug addiction in Requiem or the awful brutality of a broken old man in The Wrestler, Aronofsky challenges the way we watch movies and he has done it again with Black Swan.

The success of this film can certainly be shared equally between the director and his fantastic crew of talented actors and actresses. The cast were sensational throughout as every man and woman played their role perfectly. Mila Kunis was fantastic as Lily, Nina's competition and complete opposite (free spirit, sexually liberal) and credit must to go Vincent Cassel too, as Leroy the director, and consequently chief tormentor of Nina. Both Kunis and Cassel really got into their characters and made Black Swan all the better for it. However, Black Swan would be nothing without it's leading lady and the awards and plaudits must surely go to the deserving Natalie Portman. To think that this actress was once the sweet and innocent Queen Amidala in The Phantom Menace is astounding. Portman's performance in Black Swan is nothing short of spectacular and there is no doubt that if she walks away with Best Leading Actress at the Oscars this year, she will have thoroughly deserved it (she already bagged a Golden Globe). To be honest, it will be daylight robbery if she doesn't win considering the competition she is up against. The amount of time and dedication it must have taken to play her role as Nina is mind-boggling. After watching that scene when Portman writhes on her bed in self-inflicted pleasure, unaware her crazy mother is only inches away asleep in a chair, I'm not sure if she'll ever be the Queen of Naboo again in my mind... you just can't go back after that...

All in all, Black Swan was a brilliant film and I don't expect to see many better in 2011. The only criticism I have is that, whilst being a powerful and emotional film, Black Swan isn't exactly one I'll be popping in the DVD player on a regular basis. That's no slight against the film, it was excellent, but like Requiem, Black Swan is so depressing and terrifying that repeat viewings may not occur very often. However, you cannot shy away from the fact that Natalie Portman gave the performance of her career and it was truly shocking yet astounding at the same time. Not an easy feat to say the least.

A More Enjoyable Reality Rating: 8/10

Thanks for reading.