Starring Natalie Portman, Black Swan is a beautiful and haunting ‘physcoramatic’ piece directed by Darren Aronofsky, who is renowned for his hard-hitting and thought provoking work, such as Requiem For A Dream (2000). Portman encapsulates the seemingly naive, dainty and dedicated young ballet dancer, Nina Sayers, who is utterly consumed with her profession. Dancing for the New York City ballet, and living with her mother, a former ballerina who is also infatuated by dance, she lands the lead role in Swan Lake when artistic director Thomas Leroy kisses her and she bites him, allowing him to discover her potential. The artistic director, played by Vincent Cassel replaces Beth Macintyre (Winona Ryder). However, Leroy is also astounded by the unique abilities of new dancer Lily, brought to life by Mila Kunis, who is best known as the voice of Meg Griffin in hit US T.V series Family Guy.
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| The Film's Director Darren Aronofsky |
Leroy states that he requires a prima ballerina capable of personifying the white swan’s innocence and grace as well as the sensuality of the black swan. Innocence and grace are clearly Nina’s traits whereas Lily encapsulates the innate, slightly off-centre sensuality that Leroy yearns to bring out of Nina through her dancing. The girls become friends which develops into a fierce rivalry as Nina craves Lily’s lose characteristics, causing her to get in touch with her darker side. Nina eventually experiences hallucinations and shows definite psychotic signs, making the audience question her every move and thought, which is a difficult role for a protagonist to have, because it is within the nature of the viewer to trust the main character without question.
Fundamentally, Black Swan is a thrilling drama illustrating the lifelike aspects of a dedication to dance, specifically ballet, which is renowned for harsh expectations for those involved, which is seen early on in the film with Nina cracking her toes in preparation. The theme of obsession appears to be a favourite of Aronofsky’s, perhaps due to how hard-hitting and heartbreaking it can be, after all, it is always more interesting to view the life of a troubled character than someone who is excessively care-free and optimistic. Unfortunately, from simply watching the preview trailers for Black Swan, one can completely comprehended the majority of the storyline. But, having said that, the nauseating imagery and troubled existence of the protagonist attract nothing but deep sympathy from the audience because of how well-acted the film is.
The simplistic cinematography aspect of conveying parallels between characters within the film and a story within said film has been somewhat overused, making the overall plot very unsurprising. But I am sure not many audience members expect the parallels to be quite so dark and disturbing. The juxtapositioning of the film’s actual storyline and that of Swan Lake are cleverly placed to portray realism and surrealism perfectly in tandem. I appreciate that Arnonofsky has never underestimated the potential power of colour, or lack thereof, because by simply labelling one character as the white swan, and the other as the black, a probable plot forms in the mind of the viewer instantly. As a perfectionist, it is inevitable that Nina becomes more spontaneous to project the black swan on opening night. A film gripping film about jealousy, fear and dedication, Black Swan is glitteringly stunning, with several ‘must-look-but-my-stomach-cannot-bare-it’ moments. Arnonofksy's use of mirrors is unusual as it seamlessly represents the idea that dancers and actors alike must develop a sense of self-criticism in order to be successful, which is an ironic portrayal of similarities between the character of Nina and Portman, as the actress playing her.
In a similar way to Aronofsky’s previous work, Black Swan has no concealed message or moral for the viewer, allowing utter focus on the dazzling acting, incredible cinemaphotography and storyline. Some of the shots of the dancing, specifically group rehearsals and rapid close-ups making everywhere appear claustrophobic, creating audience-character empathy, are fantastic and despite the movie being from the protagonist’s point of the view, the variation of shot keeps the audience questioning Nina’s mental stability. Additionally, the graphic and captivating dancing scenes are the backbone of the film without taking the focus off the storyline itself, which is a very difficult balance for a director and cinematographer to attain. Andrew Weisblum’s editing must also be applauded because his juxtapositions of lifelike aspects with a montage of mental instability are intense and some of the sequences of shots reflect the sense of tainted beauty found in the storyline.
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| A Black Swan Film Poster |
Black Swan is one of those films that, assisted by Clint Mansell’s cold and haunting score, a charismatic piece, that does something very rare as tests the limits of cinema on an emotional level. Some scenes with make you feel physically sick, but not because of their realism, but because of their distant connection to reality, which is incredibly rare. The frequent intense use of mirrors is unforgettable, and will have you jumping at your own reflection for weeks to come. Black Swan, in which Natalie Portman absolutely gives her best performance to date, manages to encapsulate spectacular dance sequences, storyline parallels, dramatic and charming acting and character deterioration, all coming to a holt in the most predictable but stunning fashion.
4/5
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