Kevin Marshall's America
With the exception of Stanley Kubrick, I’ve always made a conscious effort not to expect a certain level of quality from any given filmmaker simply by virtue of who they are.
That said, Darren Aronofsky has yet to disappoint me.
Frenemies: Kunis and Portman in "Black Swan"
“Black Swan” is a majestic and beautifully shot thriller. The film is framed around a production of “Swan Lake” with the principal dancer Nina (played by Natalie Portman) playing both the White Swan and the Black Swan. The pressure of attaining and sustaining the pinnacle of achievement in her physically and emotionally demanding profession drives Nina towards self-destruction and madness.
Although Portman is the star, Mila Kunis has the long-deserved breakout performance. Ever since watching her in the laughably bad and depressingly misguided “American Psycho 2,” I’ve felt her talents were largely wasted in Hollywood. She has a natural charisma and believability she brings to every role I’ve seen her play, and it’s about time she moved up to the higher profile and higher quality films. Here’s hoping we see more roles like this for her.
The film is nigh perfect aesthetically. Aronofsky has two great gifts as a director that endear him to me: he perfectly frames every shot and the pacing never lets up. The first act of the film, which simply explores Nina’s life as a ballet dancer, is every bit as riveting and engrossing as later acts when she starts hallucinating and questioning the reality around her. Aronofsky doesn’t just rely on tricks, and the end result is the best horror movie in years that isn’t even really a horror movie.
This is not to say it’s a perfect film. For one, Nina is simply not a sympathetic character despite the odds stacked against her. Part of this is that Portman is too perfectly cast as the physically punished ballet dancer with the pristine and fragile exterior. It’s an inescapable paradox inherent in the project: we have to explore the humanity of a person who is brought up and taught to be unreal and inorganic. As such, we never connect or identify with her. Which I suppose is the point, though it’s a decision that hampers emotional investment in the story.
The other shortfall comes with the film’s narrative. We are thrilled and terrified by moments, but not the story as a whole. We’re not wondering what’s behind the corner for Nina or whether or not she’ll succeed in her role, but rather squirming during specific scenes. I think much of this is due to the script being handled as a project rather than a story. The screenwriters successfully parallel the personal journey of Nina with the tale of “Swan Lake,” but seem to get distracted by this and other methods. As a result, the story suffers and at times takes a back seat.
Still, it’s one of the most fascinating mainstream films I’ve ever seen, and with it, Aronofsky establishes himself as a master. I don’t think any other director alive could have made this film watchable, let alone required viewing. And yet, with a creative vision and artistic integrity that is unmatched by most directors, Aronofsky pulls it off.
Bravo.
For a different though still positive take on the film, check out Kim Morgan’s piece over at her Sunset Gun blog.
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7 Responses to My Review of “Black Swan”
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I think it is very telling that we were excited to see a movie that circled so much around ballet and Swan Lake. Bravo Aronofsky! Bravo!
I fell in love with Aronofsky the first time I ever saw Requiem for a Dream. He puts so much into all of his projects. There’s a level of detail that he brings that is just exquisite. The Fountain is probably the most beautiful film I’ve ever seen. I was going to see Black Swan just because of him, without knowing much of the plot. I’m not usually a “horror” person, but the way he builds suspense in this film is enjoyable (in a twisted way). I also like the fact that he used the graininess quality with the visuals the way he did with The Wrestler. He said in an interview that he actually considers this movie to be a sister film to The Wrestler since they have so many similar qualities.
I agree with you that this was an important role of Kunis. I loved her. She was the perfect foil to Portman. I also can’t get over how good Natalie Portman was. The role felt demanding just watching it, let alone actually acting it. She totally blew me away. Really just an all around fantastic film.
“Black Swan” as a sister film to “The Wrestler” is interesting, because Dan (who went to see the film with me) and I had this discussion afterwards.
Whereas I think we both agreed we enjoyed “The Wrestler” more (with Randy as a more relatable person played by the superbly more charismatic Mickey Rourke), there are definite similarities. Both are entrenched in a profession that demands nothing less than pathological obsession from its participants and breeds self-destruction and, one would argue, a certain level of insanity. There are other parallels as well, though I worry exploring those might spoil certain aspects of “Black Swan” or both films.
I’ve been meaning to get around to an Aronofsky film for a while, because I’ve heard good things. I considered going to to see Black Swan, but neither my partner nor my friends were interested in a film that has ballet in it. Does someone have a recommendation for one in particular to begin with, I need to use my Netflix account more.
Dan and I can both attest to the folly in not wanting to see it because “it’s a ballet movie.” It’s not. Ballet just happens to be the central focus. Tell your partner and friends they can trust us on this.
Otherwise, I’d highly recommend “The Wrestler.”
I saw this film yesterday and am still freaked out. It would make Alfred Hitchcock proud. It takes a while to figure out what is going on but once you do you are hooked. It is beautifully shot and the scenes are not over done, in fact I don’t think there was any nudity but plenty of sex. You actually feel how uptight Nina is all the way until near the end. Go see it.1
Not sure if you all saw the same movie I did or not but I have a completely different view. I thought the film was shot well but the content of it was less than desirable. I found the entire movie confusing and the ending made no sense to me. There is so much more that could have been contained.
I started instantly telling everyone not to see it. It’s a weird movie with a sucky ending.