Not what I expected

Rating: 2/10 (19 December 2010)

If I had known before I went to see this movie that the director had also directed Pi, I might have passed on it. Having now seen it, I can't say that I particularly enjoyed the experience, or that I am likely to remember the movie a week from now.
For whatever reason I expected a movie about the difficult real life of a ballet dancer. And that was, sort of, what this turned out to be.
But, more and more, it also turned out to be a horror movie, the modern versions of which do nothing for me and I avoid. The leading character, Nina, suffers from what appear to be hallucinations. As a result, you can't tell when something is actually happening and when she is just hallucinating it.
Of course, if the purpose of the movie is to convey what she perceives and feels, I guess the distinction doesn't really matter.
Once I accepted that stance, I found that, since I didn't care for the main character at all and definitely did not identify with her, I really didn't care about anything. I didn't care whether her colleagues were really out to get her, or if she was just extremely paranoid and imagined it all, or some part of it.
And that pretty much sums up my reaction to this movie. I didn't care, and I was happy when it was over, as I don't much care to be manipulated by horror scenes.
Those that do enjoy that might enjoy this. Who knows?