How Could You Hope For Anything More In A Movie

Rating: 10/10 (29 January 2011)

This is one of the few films I've personally ever come across that from moment one begins - unobtrusively and almost imperceptibly - to draw the viewer in, and then suddenly - before you know it - you're absolutely hooked and unable to let go even if - after the first few minutes - this looked as if it was shaping up to be a good but ultimately forgettable film. In the end, though, director Darren Aronofsky shapes and builds this movie almost perfectly and leaves you with few if any unrealized expectations.
In the beginning this all seems so simple. Nina (played brilliantly by Natalie Portman) is a young, shy, nervous, beautiful and technically proficient ballerina who seeks the lead role in a modern production of "Swan Lake." The director Thomas (Vincent Cassel) recognizes that her style is perfect for the portrayal of the white swan but that she lacks the necessary "edge" to play the black swan. He gives her the role and begins to work with her to get her to explore a riskier, less technically proficient but more passionate side of dancing. At this point it looks like a fairly well-worn type of story, as the movie seems to be shaping up as little more than a study of the rivalries that exist between dancers in a ballet company (which you expect to be taken to an extreme) - and, indeed, rivalries within the company abound - from the dancer that Nina replaced (a somewhat limited role played by Winona Ryder) to one of her fellow ballerinas (Lily, played by Mila Kunis, who brought exactly the right look and feel to the character) who wanted the role and didn't get it, ending up as Nina's alternate. From beginning to end, in the background there's a study of the obviously unhealthy relationship between Nina and her mother (Barbara Hershey) - apparently a former ballerina herself who now wants to live her dream through Nina, who comes across as over- protective and controlling. The characters all have depth, and yet the movie never seems to get bogged down in an intractable character study. We learn about these people as the movie flows effortlessly, portraying Nina's development as a ballerina and her descent as she seems to lose touch with reality, so obsessed does she become with being the black swan.
The development of this movie is deliberate but spellbinding, and it never lacks a beat; never leaves you wondering if watching this is worth it. It's both subtle and in your face at the same time. It's sensual and even erotic at times - and yet there's a sense of innocence (especially from Nina) and the sensuality and eroticism are portrayed with (as far as I can recall) not even a single scene of nudity. It's violent at times and yet there's nothing here that's especially graphic. The characters all have you wondering about them. Thomas, Lily and Nina's mother all seem off balance somehow. The controlling mother; Lily who's obsessed with wanting the role and jealous that Nina got it instead; Thomas who comes across as little more than a lecherous director looking for "favours" from the dancers, quite frankly. And then in the end it all gets turned around. Were any of these people really what they appeared to be, or did much of this happen in Nina's mind as she became more and more obsessed about her role? That, in the end, is the psychological power of this movie - trying to distinguish the fine line between what's real and what's imagined. Once the movie hits full stride it's hard to make that distinction. The last half hour or so, dealing with the opening night of the ballet and Nina's actual debut performance in the role, is especially gripping.
Who'd have thought? I'm not interested in ballet. I've never seen a performance of any ballet - let alone "Swan Lake." And yet this movie gives one an appreciation of ballet as an art form and almost convinces me to go and see one. In addition to that, it turns out to be a tense and emotional psychological thriller that leaves not a single bit of disappointment. It is absolutely worthy of the Oscar nominations it's received, and I for one will be especially rooting for Natalie Portman on Oscar night 2011.