You Were Perfect

Rating: 10/10 (25 February 2012)

The preternaturally graceful weaving of themes, acting talent, and striking camera-work made Black Swan one of the most beautiful and preeminent films I've ever seen, and perhaps the best film of 2010.
Darren Aronofsky, a revolutionary of directing and film-crafting, effortlessly combined all of the ideas and thoughts seamlessly, and with such cinematic flair that it is almost impossible to ignore this marvel of cinema. His camera is our Black Swan, taking us through lives with Aronofsky's jolty ease, and screen-enveloping passion. Moments of the movie burst with life, and emotion, while others are so subdued it is physically painful to watch without fidgeting.
Credit must be given where credit is due, and credit is due to Natalie Portman, the phenomenal back-bone of the film. She captured both the physical and emotional facets of her complex character, and this unfathomable feet is the sole reason she was handed an Oscar.
Mila Kunis, in her first break-out role, stupefied me with her refined control of character. Her deliciously and irresistibly seductive, almost siren-like, feats in the film are what supporting actresses only dream they can do. She was the epitome of the idea of Black Swan.
Vincent Cassel, an actor who can perfect any ideal or number of passions, managed the task of main catalysts without a. overacting or b. getting any critical acclaim. I believe that he lost out on the critical appeal because he managed to subdue his character in favor of the female leads. He relinquished the spotlight, and a humility of that nature radiates through the film.
Winona Ryder, not seen often enough as of late, managed to crown the film with a short exhibition of her many talents, and remind us why we all subscribed to her so easily in past years (and will in future ones).
To write about Black Swan without mentioning Clint Mansell's harrowing, and enthralling score would not be tolerated, so I must mention the score that drew me into the moment, and set the mood so perfectly. To be sitting in a chair, in a theater, and to not realize where you are because you are so engulfed in a movie is the product of direction, acting, and of course SCORE. To take the classic score and revamp it beyond all reasonable similarity (yet still leave it primarily the same notes) is a talent only Mansell can claim to have mastered.
"Black Swan" was simply immaculate.