Black Swan

Rating: 7/10 (20 December 2010)

Just watched it. I have some mixed feelings, but overall I'm quite impressed.
Natalie Portman: I believe this is the first movie I saw Natalie Portman actually acting. Of course I enjoyed seeing her in previous films, mainly because she's so damn cute/hot, but I was never really impressed by her acting. This movie is a new level for her. I'm not surprised to see her nominated for a Golden Globe.
Barbara Hershey: The Mother was really tailored for Ellen Burstyn. I actually imagined Burstyn playing this part while watching some of the scenes. Darren could have changed the mother into a grandmother and put Burstyn there - she would have been perfect. That's not saying that Hershey wasn't good - she was.
Mila Kunis: I'm not familiar with her work, so it's hard for me to judge. I can't say I was impressed by her acting. I think it was average, nothing more.
Vincent Cassel: He gives an excellent performance.
Cinematography: I love Matthew Libatique's work. He's a genius. In this movie I have some mixed feelings. The dancing parts were really special. It felt like the camera is dancing with the dancers - and I believe that's what Libatique was aiming for. As for shooting the entire movie with a hand-held camera - well, I'm not too crazy about this concept in general and this movie is no exception. I think it's distracting. I prefer clean cinematography. Having said that, the hand-held shooting makes more sense on the second part of the movie. Oh, and BTW, the extended use of hand-held camera and especially the shooting behind the back reminded me of "The Wrestler". I read that some people suggest that the two movies are two halves of the same film. I partially agree on that, as I also noticed the similarities between the two movies while watching Black Swan.
Music: Clint Mansell does it again. I don't think I've ever actually heard the entire Swan Lake, so I really can't tell how much of the score is original. In any case, it works. The music on the second part of the film (and especially towards the end) is bombastic - and it works!
Effects: I really liked the body modifications. Too bad there wasn't more of it. The body change in front of the mirror immediately felt like the work of David Cronenberg.I really expected to see a long and extended full body modification - and I got some of it at the end of the movie during the dance. They did quite an amazing work there with the visual effects while she dances. Again, too bad it wasn't longer.
Direction: Darren Aronofsky's direction is solid as always. The first part is a bit slow, but never boring. And yes, it's not easy to make Ballet look cool. The second part (or last third) is where the movie's momentum really is. Again, I really liked the body modifications and I really wish they were more elaborated and that there were more of them.
Mirrors: While watching the movie it was obvious to me that Darren aimed to have a mirror in every scene. Nice concept, but a was a bit distracting at times - especially during the dancing, when my attention was more about watching Darren's use of doubles in order to achieve the camera not reflecting in the mirror (an old trick that is always impressive on film).
I'm not sure I got all the meanings Darren wanted to give - and I guess that's partially the reason I didn't completely identified with the movie. I guess I'll have to rewatch it.
Overall, a very good film. Much better than the other Drek we see lately (=in recent years). No, I don't think it deserves to be in IMDb's top 250 and I don't think it's Darren's best, but I liked it more than "The Wrestler" and overall it's a very good film.
6.5/10 That's my first impression. I should watch it again.