Hauntingly Beautiful

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2011)

It's funny how most reviews that I've read of this movie are on opposite ends of the spectrum; viewers either love it or absolutely can't stand it. While many have criticized this movie as a pseudo-art-house piece, I can't help but think that a piece of work should be recognized as having artistic merit simply because of its ability to produce such vehement criticism and equally passionate defense.
I'm one of the people who absolutely loved this movie. I think this is because of my experience as a professional dancer/performer--I went in expecting a ballet movie with a dark twist, but I got something else entirely. In fact, the dancing itself is rarely shown on screen, which made some people angry. However, I think the fact that the actual dancing did not have much presence worked for the underlying theme of the movie, which I found to be that the audience never sees (and wouldn't want to see) the agony and drama that goes into a breathtaking performance on stage. Yes, there was a "Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde" element to the movie, but that wasn't what stood out for me.
This movie hit a little too close to home for me. It made me physically uncomfortable--I was sweaty, my heart was pounding, tears would sometimes well up in my eyes, and my face was visibly flushed when I left the theater--not because I've had lesbian trysts or hallucinations, but because I've strived for perfection in a similar way as Nina does in the movie. I fought the natural shape of my body, my instructor played constant mind games with me (but was not sexually abusive like in this movie, thank goodness), and I tried my hardest to play by the rules, to not speak up or defend myself, and to create the physical perfection that I thought my coaches, parents, and audiences wanted from me. I can't remember the number of times that I was told to "loosen up" or "embrace the character" or "stop focusing on the technical aspects". When I saw someone going through something similar on screen, it touched me in a way that most movies haven't.
The acting in this movie is fantastic. Natalie Portman's performance, to me, is pitch perfect, and avoids the pitfalls of the melodramatic that she could have easily resorted to. Mila Kunis's performance is highly underrated--she's sexy and carefree in a way that offers the perfect foil to Portman's repressed performance. Winona Ryder is excellent and completely believable in her pivotal supporting role (except for one thing--I think an ex-ballerina would have long hair. Most ballerinas must have long hair to create a ballet bun, and it is unlikely that someone clinging to her career would have cut her hair), and Vincent Cassel is perfectly creepy and manipulative--I can see myself falling victim to his games. I'd never seen an Aronovsky film before this one, but I will certainly seek his other work out, as I thought the direction of the movie, it's overall look and tone, the music, and editing were all brilliant.
This movie gets inside of your head. Don't see it if you aren't up for being uncomfortable while you watch--there are plenty of flinch-worthy, almost horror movie-like moments. But if you can handle it, see it. You may not love it, but you'll certainly have an opinion about it.