A director's triumph, quintessential cinema, mainstream horror, genius writing

Rating: 10/10 (28 June 2013)

Black Swan is a very original film, a fresh in the air film. Yes, there is another movie with similar themes which is Red Shoes, but other than that movie in the history of cinema, I think that Black Swan is an unique film and experience. I haven't seen such a different, genius dance scenes before in my life! It is pure cinema. The camera movements and lighting are genius thanks to Darren Aranofsky, also he creates a chilling and suspenseful atmosphere in a brilliant way. The movie is technically and visually mesmerizing, for example the ballet shoes making scene captured me. The movie is pure art, but also a great psychological thriller. The script is highly smart, it is full of metaphors and clues about the content and the lives of the characters. I think the movie's main themes are the desire of being perfect and career ambition. The mother character reminds me Haneke's The Piano Teacher, in my opinion two mothers share some very similar characteristics, but the mother here is mysterious (the other was not) Portman's acting is incredible, one of the best female performances of all time may be, Mila Kunis was also a great choice for the character and as a performance she was top-notch! Also, Winona Ryder who I don't particularly like as an actress was great in this. I couldn't solve the mystery of body scratches by the way. The lesbian scene wasn't a box office tool if you ask my opinion, its necessity is open to question, but it adds some very important aspects to the story. Also, "was I good?" line was a clear The Family Guy wit that leaves a smile on your face. As a content, I couldn't the mystery of that lesbian scene either. There is also a climactic dance sequence and everything from editing to art direction, from sounds to meanings and metaphors, it was a brilliant experience. And after a second thought, the ending was perfect and twisted a little (an early question from another ballet dancer made us think differently about what is going on) Black Swan is one of the masterpieces of this century. It is also like the film combines mainstream suspense cinema with independent art cinema perfectly. It should have won the best film Oscar.