I love going to see a movie with Oscar buzz, especially if I walk out of the theatre feeling like the film is worth the buzz. Black Swan fits perfectly into that category. I’d been wanting to see this movie for quite a while, and Darren Aronofsky (director) did not let me down.
Black Swan is thrillingly haunting. The entire film is a girl’s life as a metaphor for the ballet Swan Lake, which eventually turns to an unfortunate series of events. This girl is Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), who lands the role as the Queen Swan in the company’s first ballet of the opening season, which is Swan Lake. She beats out many other girls and replaces veteran Beth Macintyre (Winona Ryder – seriously) in this role.
The ballet’s director, Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel), tells her that he has already cast Veronica (Ksenia Solo) when she asks for a word in his office the morning after her principle audition, when she basically ruined her chance. She is just too sweet and virginal. Her words did not convince him, but when he makes a move and kisses her, she bites his lip. That little bit of passion does. He casts her as both the white and black swans.
After that first ten minutes, the final hour and a half of the film follows her preparation for opening night. The pressure this role forces upon her basically turns her into a paranoid schizophrenic. The correlation between her downward spiral to greatness and the story of Swan Lake makes the film. These caveats make this film more than a movie. Everything about Black Swan is deep and follows through until the end.
Nina’s relationship with her mother (Barbara Hershey) is the classic mother-became-pregnant-so-she-spawns-her-dreams-of-what-could-have-been-upon-her-daughter, but Aronofsky takes it to another level because he links their psyches of controlled perfection to each other’s dreams. The other relationship is with new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis), which is friendship that Nina imagines to be much more, from lovers to a surreptitious rival. Thomas also tries to build more of a relationship with Nina than director-dancer, but his advances only help to enable her to reach her potential as the mysterious black swan.
The casting in this film is perfection. Natalie Portman deserves that Oscar she’ll win for this role. Her portrayal is truly haunting. She plays almost two juxtaposed roles with the same end goal – one of this sweet ballet dancer who dreams of nothing but to be infallible, and this obsessed neurotic who won’t let anyone get in her way to opening night.
Winona Ryder, though not in the film for more than ten minutes, brings to life, and almost death, this starlet of ballets past. Her psychotic has-been stands out so much that her scenes are perhaps the most thrilling of the film.
Mila Kunis. Who knew that Jackie Burkhart could actually act? Although this won’t happen, I would adore for her to win some notable award for this role, á la one from The Academy. Due to Nina’s psychological disturbance, Kunis almost has to play two roles as well – one of a friend and one as an underhanded adversary.
Barbara Hershey evocates raw passion as the overprotective stage mother from whom Nina seemingly inherits her disorders, from eating to mental. Vincent Cassel nails his role as a narcissistic and manipulative jerk who thinks he can make anyone in his life do anything he wants. He doesn’t know what too far is.
If you can’t tell, you should go see this film before you see any other one. I was so intrigued that I didn’t even check the clock on my phone once to see how much more time should pass until the credits begin rolling, and that’s definitely saying something.
