8.5/10, here's why:
Black Swan is this winter's highly anticipated Darren Aronofsky film staring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Vincent Cassel. The story revolves around a young and fragile-minded ballerina played by Portman, who is overcome by the lead role she must play in Swan Lake. Mila Kunis plays a new arrival to the dance company, and Portman's character is paranoid that her lead role will be plucked away from her by the new ballerina. Portman sways in and out of what is real and what is in her mind as she battles to hold it together and attain perfection on the stage.
This film is very Aronofsky. Things really fall apart and sink to the deepest depths like his other films. If you've seen Requiem for Dream or The Wrestler, all you have to do is watch the trailer for Black Swan and see that Darren made this film. It is very dark, and explores the collapse of the human psyche, a common theme in Aronofsky films. This being said, the film is a gem and a must see. The camera work and acting are top notch in Black Swan and creates tense moments of suspense, disbelief and paranoia. You are entrenched in the dance company's routine and everything that surrounds the production of a ballet. Portman will be in the running for Best Actress in March with her excellent portrayal of a fragile and prude girl trying desperately to be perfect on the stage. Aronofsky's use of mirrors serve as stylistic watermarks in propelling the feeling of a world crumbling in front of Portman's eyes. The blacks and whites in the film serve to contrast the white swan and black swan roles that Portman must come to terms with.
This is a film that will mark Aronofsky's ascendance as an auteur in not just the film industry but in film history. Many will see similarities between Black Swan and The Wrestler, as they follow singular characters, and indeed Black Swan was meant to be a companion piece with the Wrestler. I am skeptical of Aronofsky's next film which is Wolverine. I can't really come to terms with someone who makes a great work like Black Swan and then making an action hero film. Chris Nolan is in the same realm. These comic book films don't really lend themselves to have a directors style stamped upon them, which makes them like any other huge budget blockbuster film. I am picturing Wolverine having a nervous breakdown after taking pain pills and then hunched over puking in the toilet when I think of Wolverine+Aronofsky.
Overall, this is one of the best films that I have seen this year, and it will win a hefty amount of awards in acting and directing categories. It's a film that you will come away with appreciation of filmmaking and acting. Go see it.
I kept thinking about the movie the rest of the night. Totally dreamlike and mentally exhausting... in a good Aronofsky sort of way...
ReplyDeleteJust like Requiem, there was an interesting dynamic between the lead role and mother. I'm trying to remember if that came up at all in the Wrestler and Pi too. Maybe something true to life for Aronofsky?
Have you seen The Fountain?