Overdone Melodrama

Rating: 6/10 (6 November 2016)

This is a film I've been meaning to watch for years, so naturally I built up some pretty high expectations over time. I went into 'Black Swan' expecting nothing but greatness I mean, how could I not? Almost everything about it sounds great: an intriguing female protagonist, a plot centred around the themes of pressure and sanity, set within an intimidating theatrical environment, and on top of that, starring Natalie Portman and Vincent Cassel. There is so much potential in all of this for a masterful art house tour de force, but unfortunately only a small portion of that potential is actually utilised.
'Black Swan', although rich in clever symbolism and captivating performances, feels like a complete and utter mess in terms of tone and style. In regards to genre, this film is classified as a "thriller/drama"... but it feels like a "melodrama" more than anything, and surprisingly, not due to the performances, but due to its obnoxiously bizarre editing choices. There are countless scenes throughout the film which would have worked so much better if they weren't presented in such an over-the-top manner; scenes that feature raw emotion and truly praise-worthy work from the incredibly talented Natalie Portman - which unfortunately can't be fully appreciated due to the distracting soundtrack being constantly used out of place, as well as abrupt cuts which only seem to be there in an attempt to make the given scene feel more "energetic". It really is frustrating, as all the "energy" that is required is fully provided by the actors themselves; the technical additions just feel forced and eventually become irritating. Almost all of the editing and tonal choices are constructed so poorly and even worse, they just felt so damn unnecessary.
The tone even shifts into the territory of "horror", and I don't mean cleverly constructed tension or even some of that Lynchian mastery, what I mean is terrible jump "scares" that fail to fulfil their basic purpose - I'm talking about the type of jump scares you'd expect in the lowest tier of juvenile "horror" films. Jump scares, despite sounding cheap, can be done well - David Lynch certainly proved this in his films but that's definitely not what we receive here, what we receive here is some obnoxious editing that feels like it was slapped together by an edgy teenager because of how corny it feels. This is just one of the few aspects that felt awkwardly out of place, it's as if one of the purposes of this film is to try and distract you from the truly wonderful performances provided by the entire cast, which is truly unfortunate, especially concerning Natalie Portman and Vincent Cassel - these two in particular were perfectly cast and kept me glued to the screen throughout the entire run-time of the film, despite its annoying distractions. The acting and the script are the only aspects that made me give this film an "above average" rating, they are also the only aspects which made this film worth watching, just about everything else brings it down and ultimately makes it a frustrating viewing experience.
In conclusion, 'Black Swan' just feels like wasted potential - it feels like a masterpiece trapped within a mediocre execution. Despite my harsh words, it is a film I would recommend watching at least once for the performances alone; Natalie Portman gives one of the best performances of her career and truly captivates from start to finish. There's even some clever symbolism based on the themes implemented throughout, but just like with the acting, it's difficult to appreciate with all the distracting nonsense thrown on top of it. I'm giving 'Black Swan' a mild 6,4/10 - there is definitely a great film within, so it really is quite a shame that it had to be executed this way.