Ugly Duckling

Rating: 5/10 (5 January 2011)

It didn't take long for Black Swan to reveal itself as yet another irretrievable step down the path of over-wrought cinematic pathos for Aronofsky...which is unfortunate for me being a cautious fan of his until recently. To be fair, there are those who enjoy this kind of thing....say, for instance, ballet and opera aficianados who, with respect to stifling pathos, seem to enjoy gorging on the stuff (it never ceases to amaze me how both opera and ballet manages the unlikely juxtaposition of highly evolved, raw physical talent with that of the ridiculous, often down-right silly, story line).
Pathos, perhaps for many, is akin to something along the lines of Beluga caviar...considered a refined delicacy for those who saunter in such circles...yet, for the likes of this simple-minded average Joe, can be nothing more than fish eggs...which may occupy the category of "gustatory novelty" within the first couple of mouthfuls, but which inevitably becomes salty, unpalatable mush shortly thereafter. Ergo the flight path of Black Swan, when the feathers started to fly. It was certainly interesting, initially, in its cinematic style, unusual risky/fringe-y setting and characters, with fascinating emotional contextual tension. But the novelty soon became buried in the gluttony of melodrama which only was elevated to absurdity when given a hallucinogenic inflection.
My wife and I were gracious at "the party", though...recognizing the rapt facial expressions on those sitting around us. We managed to somehow subdue overt laughter. And when offered another silver spoonful of that black, gelatinous roe by the white-gloved catering crew, I simply and respectfully said, "No thank you". Leaving our seats..and the stifling je ne sais quoi of it all...was a profound relief!