A Thinking Person's Film

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2010)

Black Swan is Indy tour-de-force art nouveau at its best. I guarantee that this film will get inside your head and make a home there. You won't be able to shake it, and you'll want to talk about it with others. Darren Aronofsky is of course a master of the mind; he is among the best at allowing us to truly get inside a character's head while shifting from the real to the imaginary. This is a film that will not be for everyone. But, go into it with an open mind if you decide to see it.
We all know the plot by now, so I will leave that to the other reviews of the film. I have seen this film 4 times now; the first time, I came away from it feeling exhausted yet exhilarated.
Black Swan is dark, brooding, relentless and unapologetic. Some parts are completely absurd and impractical. Some parts are so loud that your ears will ache. The score is absolutely beautiful and fits every single scene. The direction and cinematography are excellent--sometimes shaky and sometimes rigid, but I particularly enjoyed the dancing sequences where Aronofsky used the camera as another dancer. I'll address the sex scene between Portman and Kunis since it is so talked about. It's just that--a sex scene, not a love scene in any way. There's nothing gentle or romantic about it, it is Nina's F-you to her mother and Lily just happened to be there. It is a very sexy and graphic scene, so be prepared for it. But, Black Swan should not be belittled by ONLY mentioning this scene. The film is so much more than that.
The performances were the best part of the film. French actor Vincent Cassel is excellent as Thomas Leroy, the horny company director. Is he trying to actually seduce Nina (Portman), or is he just trying to get her to delve deeper? Either way, he gives no apologies. Barbara Hershey is fantastic as Erica, Nina's overbearing mother, who gave up her own career to raise Nina. Nina can barely dress herself without the presence of her mother. Mila Kunis is refreshing and funny as Lily, a new dancer to the company. Although it never seemed to me that she was actively after Nina's role in Swan Lake, NINA perceives it this way; her paranoia, stress and Leroy's harsh criticisms lead her to the brink of insanity, if not actually to it. Winona Ryder is respectable as Beth, an aging prima ballerina who is forced out of the company, much to her disdain.
The real kudos, however, go to Natalie Portman. She has always been a go-to actress if a director needs someone who will fully commit to a role, but in Black Swan, Portman envelops the character of Nina so well that her life as an actress will surely be changed forever. She deserves this. Portman commands the screen; not only is she beautiful to look at (even at a skeletal 95 lbs), her acting skills in this film could not be matched by any other. In fact, I can't think of anyone else in this role. We easily see her as the White Swan--fragile, innocent, delicate and shy, but even I wasn't sure she could pull of the role of the Black Swan. The third act of the film is a no holds barred roller coaster ride, and it's here that Portman truly shines. The opening night scene where she becomes the Black Swan (figuratively and literally), is Portman at her best. Her performance during this particular scene was intoxicating. Nina owns the stage as the Black Swan and she prowls around backstage--sexy as hell, confident, almost omniscient. It's at this point that we realize the White Swan within her has subsided and perhaps even conceded.
The last scene is tragically glorious, sad and so beautiful. Nina had that one moment of perfection, but paid the ultimate price to achieve it.