Black Swan

Rating: 8/10 (27 January 2011)

Saw Black Swan last night— Compelling with terrific performances from the entire cast. I do, however, have one criticism...
I was hoping that the over-use of extreme close-up in the early stages of the film was an artistic expression of the narrow horizons of Nina's world and that the picture would open up as new experiences befell her, leading to a wide vista of her stage performance in Swan Lake for the finale. However...
The extreme close-ups persisted throughout the movie, leading me to suspect that far from being an artistic decision this approach had been adopted in order to mask the fact that Natalie Portman can't dance as well as the narrative requires us to believe her character can.
I found this over-use of close-up obtrusive and, if I'm honest, I think it made the film feel like an overblown TV movie; there was just something very un-cinematic about the whole experience.
That said, I return to my initial comment: compelling with terrific performances. I just think that this one might run as well (if not better) on a small screen. Oscar material it ain't, IMHO which I now cast into the mire of other web-based HOs for your perusal and consideration.