Aronofsky Perfectly Mixes Real and Surreal in an Intense Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2010)

Ever since I saw the first trailer, I counted down to the day I would watch Black Swan. It has my favorite actresses Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, one of my favorite directors Darren Aronofsky, and ultimately it had the feeling of a David Lynch film. I've tried everything to stay away from any clip, review, or piece of information, even blocking advertisements with my hand on the screen. I was pumped. So pumped the night before seeing it I could barely sleep. With this amount of hype towards anything, it's easy to be disappointed. Black Swan surprised me.
First and foremost, the performance Natalie gives is haunting. She always plays the character she began with even when the script demands more and her mental frailty shows throughout Black Swan. She handles every situation with passion and intensity. Mila Kunis also gives her usual performance that always boosts the quality of any film.
Having seen all five Aronofsky films to date, I would rank them as:
Black Swan > Requiem for a Dream > The Wrestler > The Fountain > Pi
All of his movies offer something unique and interesting, but Aronofsky was never able to mix the unique with the realistic as perfectly as he did in Black Swan. This is his best work and, looking at his upcoming work, which in my opinion will underutilized this brilliant director/writer, it will continue to be his best work for years to come.
Who knew a film about ballet would be so interesting? The story is brilliant. It's intense, passionate, frightening, sexual, sad, funny, demoniac, romantic, and above all artistic. Everything you could ever want in a film plus more. With that said, I don't believe Black Swan is for everyone, but if you found interest in the trailer than there is a great chance that you will love it as I did. I look forward to watching it again and again in the future. It's THAT good.
With a year of massive disappointments, a year where boundary-breaking films were nonexistent, Aronofsky comes in and makes 2010 worthwhile. Black Swan has a safe place as one of my favorites in life. That's right, 'favorites'. It breaks away from being just a film and takes a place as a brilliant memory and piece of work that will stay with me for the rest of my remaining life.