Modern cinema at its finest

Rating: 9/10 (13 June 2011)

***Warning: Although I tried to avoid it, this review may contain spoilers!!***
On Friday June 10th Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan" was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in Germany.
I like to use this occasion to give just some short thoughts on the performances, the technical aspects of the movie (in short) and finally a brief personal conclusion.
Of course, most of the buzz surrounding Black Swan" was triggered by Natalie Portman's performance and rightfully so. I have been a big fan of Portman since Leon – The Professional" , but honestly, after her ground-breaking performance as Mathilda, she never reached that artistic peak ever again. Not because for lack of trying, mind you, but more for lack of that really outstanding part or character. Although all four main actors give strong performances, Black Swan" is Portman's movie. Her transformation into Nina is simply amazing, even more when you consider that she is featured in almost every scene in the movie. Nina is a young woman under the control of an obsessive mother, making her a character almost impossible to play, since she always denies her own feelings and wishes and sacrifices them for the discipline of training (or of becoming perfect" as Nina herself says at one time). A lot has been published about Portman's rigid training and how she performed the choreographies herself. Let me tell you, you don't know until you've seen it. It is simply breathtaking. For me personally, there are not many actors have committed that much to a character. De Niro in Raging Bull" is the closest comparison that comes to mind and, yes, Portman is that good. There is nothing more you can ask of an actor/ actress.
The role of the artistic director Thomas is a crucial one in the story and Vincent Cassel handles it with almost discomforting ease. In the hands of another actor Thomas might have wound up either way, being a total prick or the supportive mentor to Nina. Cassel manages to incorporate both in a role that does not have that much screen-time or dialogue. He was the perfect choice, since he is at the same time intimidating yet also sensual, intelligent and soft-spoken, as much as cruel and demanding. Aronofsky was wise to choose an actor of such a class as Cassel, since I feel that a less believable or skilled performance would have hurt the whole movie and would have lessened its impact tremendously.
It is quite clear that Mila Kunis is not such a multi-facetted actress such as Portman. Nevertheless, she is great here, as she always is. Whether she was playing the spoiled rich girl on "That 70's Show" or was passing through post-apocalyptic America with Denzel Washington, Kunis always seems to tackle these different characters and settings carefree and with ease. This attitude is perfect for the character of Lily, since she represents everything in dancing that Nina seems not to be able to show. Kunis is the perfect counterpart for Portman: Nina interprets a lot in Lily, seeing her as a professional and sexual rival, but also as the ideal for a passionate performer. As Nina pressures herself more and more her view of Lily changes constantly and Kunis really does a great job in changing the tone of the character, sometimes underlining, sometimes contradicting Nina's inner thoughts and fears. And, although her dancing scenes are of course quite shorter than Portman's, I like to point out that her movements are equally professional and compelling on a totally different level.
Barbara Hershey, who plays Nina's obsessive mother, also gives an inspired performance. As with Thomas her part is not the biggest, but next to Portman's the most crucial for the understanding of the movie. Hershey manages to deliver the exact balance between love and oppression, between support and force. It is due to her (and of course) Portman's artistic ability that the viewer is always able to relate to both the character of the mother and the daughter.
To talk about every technical aspect of the movie would blow this review up to more than a dozen pages, so I keep this very short. It is flawless. I need to point out the sound design, which is extremely scary and very visceral. Aronofsky uses what can be called his trademark, soundbits that are distorted, used as echoes or mixed with music or the sounds of air, sometimes even before the original soundbit is used in the movie.
The visuals are equally compelling. I need to mention in what excruciating detail every set of the movie is furnished. The camera work is great. A lot of scenes were composed like classic paintings, using unusual perspectives so organic that you do not realize HOW unusual they are until you think about it.
When I saw the trailer I was reminded of the Giallo movies by Dario Argento or scarier movies of Roman Polanski. But Aronofsky has created his own beast here. Just like "Requiem For A Dream" this movie is an assault on the viewer, filmed in such a sophisticated manner that one cannot help but to be mesmerized and consequently think about the images. Aronofsky caught the sexual scenes like we have never seen before: honest, sensual, intimate yet also raw and violent. In the dancing scenes Aronofsky mastered the best transformation of one art form (ballet) to the other (film), just as he mastered in his previous film "The Wrestler".
"Black Swan" is an important movie. It is an A-list Hollywood-film that is intelligent, sophisticated, thought-provoking and yet always entertaining. (Not to mention, maybe the most effective Hollywood horror-movie of the last 10-15 years).
To sum up a long review in five simple words: Cinema at its absolute finest.