Rating of
3/4
Black Swan Gets an Ovation
Chris Kavan - wrote on 02/06/11
Leave it to Darren Aronofsky to take a subject I know nothing about, nor even seriously though about getting interested in, and make me sorry for ever ignoring it. Make no mistake, it's about the world of ballet as much as it's about the characters who live that life, and damned if it didn't make me want to know all about it.
I can see why Natalie Portman is considered the front-runner for best actress - this is her show and she completely blew me away with her performance. Hell, I've taken notice ever since I saw her in The Professional, but this is easily Portman's most powerful role to date. The range she shows and how she trained for this part are simply stunning. I mean the emotions she goes through is like a roller coaster, but the physical aspect is just as impressive to me. If she doesn't get the award I will be sorely disappointed.
The rest of the cast also works - Mila Kunis is excellent as Portman's rival and Vincent Cassel is just as good as the talented, hands-on instructor. Winona Ryder has a small but important role as the one-time ballet star whose age has caught up with her and Barbara Hershey plays the overbearing mother to perfection.
Like many of Aronofskys other films, Black Swan is not a straight-forward story. I guarantee that after you watch it, you will go back and question how things actually happened - what was real and what was just fantasy. It's a film to go back and watch to catch everything - like the uses of mirrors (and other reflective surfaces) throughout the film.
The film is about transformation and it gets things right in that aspect. There are some strange things going on throughout the film, but nothing that pushes it into the realm of absurd. One reason I've been such a fan of Aronofsky is that he isn't afraid to take chances or try something different. He never plays it safe - he pushes the boundaries with each films and I have yet to be disappointed by the results. When a lot of people in Hollywood are content with sequels, adaptations and remakes, it's nice to known that true originality is still alive and kicking.
Things that help Aronofsky get where he's going is the incredible score and stunning visuals in this film. It's taking risks like this that make me anticipate what Aronofsky has in store next time around.
