Decent, but Aronofsky repeats himself

Rating: 5/10 (12 February 2011)

Black Swan was not an easy film to make. It took ten years for the it to be adapted to the screen. The lead actresses, Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, went through the harsh process of attaining a body type and muscular tone similar to professional dancers, which required them to work out for five hours a day for six months, with exercises including ballet, cross-training and swimming. During the course of filming, Portman suffered a head injury as well as a twisted rib, which delayed the production.
Portman plays Nina Sayers, a ballerina in the New York City ballet, who lives with her mother who still treats her like a child. She dreams of being the lead in the production of Swan Lake, which is has a new twist to it. The story of Swan Lake focuses on a princess called the White Swan, whose lover is stolen by her evil twin, the Black Swan. Nina is cast as the Swan Queen, which is a fusion of both parts and the main element of this new interpretation.
She faces stiff competition from newcomer Lily, played by Kunis, who has a more natural feel. Pressured to perfect both parts and switch convincingly from one to the other, Nina suffers a lot of strain and several injuries. Ultimately, it is carefree Lily who is the more likable of the two, in contrast to the perfectionist Nina.
While Kunis and Portman play their parts well, the audience's attention is always caught by the charismatic Vincent Cassell. He plays the production's director, Thomas Leroy, a perverse individual who pulls no punches, and pushes Nina to the limit, using sensuality to direct her. Nina's attraction to him is what drives her to perfect the role, and her fear that Lily will take both her part and Thomas is where the homage to Swan Lake becomes apparent. Winona Ryder has a short but memorable role as the jealous former lead ballerina.
As the film progresses Nina's obsession with the role begins to damage her mental state. This is effectively shown through her hallucinations where she sees herself slowly transforming into the Black Swan.
One of the places the film falls short is the way certain scenes are delivered. Often they end up being funny when they are meant to be serious. In one such scene, Nina is on a subway, and an old man blows kisses at her and touches his crotch at the same time. While this scene is clearly intended to be disturbing, the audience find themselves laughing.
In the end, the film's biggest flaw is that for anyone with a knowledge of director Darren Aronofsky's work, it is all too familiar. The plot and story structure have noticeable similarities to his second film Requiem for a Dream. It focused on a group of junkies and the effect that drug abuse had on their lives. As those people were addicted to drugs, Nina is addicted to the idea of achieving "perfection". In both films, the plot has a slow start, then it begins to pick up, and towards the end it enters strange territory.
While Black Swan is a solid film, Aronofsky ends up repeating himself. If you haven't seen Requiem for a Dream, then Black Swan may impress you. If you have, I wouldn't bother.