Intellectual-Camp

Rating: 7/10 (4 December 2010)

I had a lot of fun watching the gorgeous Natalie Portman go through her pirouettes. A film that runs the gamut from "The Red Shoes" to "Repulsion" without reaching the heights of those masterpieces it manages to be an original opus from one of the most interesting directors of late. Darren Aronofsky's confidence is overwhelming. I regret I'll be dead and buried by the time Natalie Portman is 50 but I would give anything to see what this wonderful actress will be by that age. Here, she goes through the motions without avoiding any of the enormous difficulties her character requires. Vincent Cassel plays the French choreographer with a touch of Dhiagelev and oodles of sex appeal. Winona Ryder gives the film its campy touches, which makes the whole enterprise much more accessible than it seems at first. I enjoyed it very much even if I was aware of the effort to be seriously intellectual.