It's hard to collect my thoughts on Black Swan. When leaving the cinema with my friends none of us could shake the feeling of adrenaline coursing through our veins, so much so the first words uttered when we left were 'I could use a stiff drink'. Black Swan focuses on a ballerina Nina who lands the dual lead in Swan Lake, a role that requires her to play the innocent white swan and the sensual black swan. Her character and her state of mind change dramatically as she becomes her own worst enemy in her efforts to fit the role of the black swan.
Right here I'll tell you this is not for everyone, even if you enjoyed the companion piece The Wrestler, this approaches the psyche of Nina with so many visual metaphors and hallucinations that it becomes one hell of a mental affair, with the last 20 minutes being a rollercoaster of maniacal cinema. You never know what might be real or not, the characters are intense and the visuals are haunting, like a kind of nightmare. Thriller is a genre that is tossed around these days with no passing thought on what that really means. The Black Swan is full to the brim with such intense claustrophobic drama that almost every scene is weighted with tension and uncertainty, the very definition of what a thriller should be. It almost feels out of control, yet it is painstakingly composed and well structured.
This film references and owes a lot to many mad scientists of cinema. Imagine watching a film with David Lynch, David Cronenberg, Dario Argento as well as Darren Aronofsky at the helm and you might see where I'm coming from when I say that this film is 'intense'. That documentary feel that Aronofsky used so well in The Wrestler is pretty much copied and pasted here with the gritty look and a realistic, almost industrial feel to the world around the characters. The attention to detail on dancing as a profession is revealing and often cringe worthy as Nina practices daily rituals, cracks her toes, sustains injuries and modifies her shoes.
The ferocious plot is only made a reality thanks to the incredible acting by Natalie Portman who is sure to land an award or two for her powerful performance. The supporting cast are equally brilliant, especially Barbara Hershey, who plays Nina’s dominating mother with such ferocious guile it makes their scenes together chillingly unnerving. The haunting soundtrack by Clint Mansell intensifies the visuals; that focus so closely on the characters faces it’s almost like coming up for air when watching long shot dance scenes.
Aronofsky has created a film with such potent cinematic language that a viewer can wax lyrical on interpretations of what Nina’s hallucinations mean. As you can probably tell I utterly applaud this film. It’s daring, original, haunting, sexy and intoxicating, a film I would gladly revisit. The ballet on show is astounding and the way it is captured and represented on screen is balletic in itself. It is not for everyone but if you are looking for a film that boils with drama and assaults your senses then this is the fix you need.
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