What makes a good film?

Rating: 4/10 (22 October 2011)

After watching so very many films I'd like to think I can identify a good or a bad movie. After watching this I just don't know any more. I can tell you I didn't particularly enjoy it, but I can also recognise that parts of it were filmed very nicely, the roles were well cast, the main actors put in good performances, and it dealt with some interesting ideas around paranoia, competition and control. It certainly told a story - a ballerina, who's clearly been pushed by her overbearing mother, desperate to realise her dream of getting the lead in Swan Lake. Despite a healthy amount of doubt and a poor audition, she lands the lead. Then she has to deal with the pressure of preparing for the role and embracing its uncomfortable darker side, all in the face of mounting pressure and colleagues trying to undermine her. As the enmity, anguish and paranoia build, we're left asking "will she pull it off?". Fair story if you ask me. So we have a nice looking film, good actors, interesting story, etc etc etc. So why the hell didn't I enjoy it? Well for starters I'm not big into ballet though I've seen a couple - maybe if I understood ballet better then I'd dig the themes it deals with. Maybe if I was female I'd understand the interplay between the 2 main dancers better. Maybe if I'd had a similar experience in my life I'd empathise with the main character's journey. If any of these were the case then surely I'd rate it more highly? This is why I asked what makes a good film. It's so very subjective that the act of reviewing and rating a film suddenly seems pretty pointless, except to yourself, as it depends entirely on who you are, what your experience is, what your view on life is, and how you're feeling when you watch it. As such, I can understand the reasons for the good and bad reviews on here. If nothing else this movie made me think about that! Stepping aside from that philosophical quagmire, in the back of my mind I suspect this is a good, but flawed film; flawed for reasons other reviewers have mentioned - clichés, shallow characters, obvious themes, no real closure on what has or hasn't happened, but hey - maybe that's exactly what the director wanted, maybe that's genius?. I'm amazed if the dancing is as bad as people have said on here - I thought it looked amazing, especially from a couple of actors. All I can say is I didn't enjoy it much - so if you're me, don't watch it.