Like many people, I became aware of Darren Aronofsky with Requiem For A Dream, which is still one of the hardest movies to watch that I've ever seen. I've been a fan ever since and after seeing The Fountain, I pretty much worship on the altar of Aronofsky. And while I appreciated The Wrestler for what it is, it didn't get to me the same way his earlier work did, so I was more than a little apprehensive about Black Swan, which was sold to me as "the ballet version of The Wrestler."
There are some definite similarities, most obvious with the camera behind the main character, which started in The Wrestler. Also both movies involve worlds that are not that familiar to the average viewer, the worlds of wrestling and ballet. But whatever the similarities are, Black Swan is definitely better than it's predecessor in every way.
Black Swan is the story of Nina, a ballerina who gets the lead role in Swan Lake" as she's perfect for the role of the White Swan. But when the role requires her to become the Black Swan, Nina's mind starts to play tricks on her.
Make no mistake about it, this is definitely a horror movie. Aronofsky has studied his Polanski, Cronenberg and Argento very well. Building Nina's paranoia and her delusions are brilliantly done and feature some of the more disgusting effects this year (This year already has the eww-factor very high with this and 127 Hours). The way the movie plays with shadows and the constant feel of "there's something not quite right going on" makes the experience much more rewarding as we watch Nina's journey.
Speaking of Nina, Natalie Portman is a definite lock for the Best Actress Oscar. She plays every part of her role perfectly and as she's in every scene of the movie playing one of the more challenging roles I've seen in a while, it's no miracle this has been hailed the performance of the year. Though I have to admit, I'm a bit saddened that all the hype and glory goes to Portman, as I feel Vincent Cassel deserves recognition for his role as well. As the director of the ballet, you're never really quite sure what his aim is and he plays right on the edge of being a sleaze or a brilliant director.
It's great to see a horror movie nominated for Best Picture, which hasn't happened since Silence of the Lambs. While I don't think Black Swan will win that category, at least Natalie Portman will be recognized as Best Actress. Definitely one of the best movies of the year so far. My Rating: 9/10
I absolutely agree. One of the best movies. Love how they let the black swan creeping in. Even her clothes matched that (from mainly white over to grey and all). Absolutely brilliant :-)
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