Black Swan (A or 4/4 stars)
I don't love the word "masterpiece" because it sounds so definite - like the word "perfect". That said, to me, 'Black Swan' (directed by Darren Aronofsky, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler), as a grand guignol melodrama, as a piece of art ... is as close to those terms as one can get.
Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is a sweet, but driven ballerina; aspiring to make it to the top of her ballet company. She lives in a claustrophobic Upper West Side apartment with her controlling, obsessive, failed ballerina mother (Barbara Hershey). And her life is consumed with dance (dieting, stretching, breaking-in her shoes, cracking knuckles, practicing, repeat). Nina also has mental anxieties (complete with self-mutilization), & those neuroses are magnified when imperious artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for a revised version of 'Swan Lake', & Nina is his choice to play the duplicitous Swan Queen! She's ecstatic. But while her innocence & technique makes her the 'perfect' fit for the White Swan, she lacks the spontaneity & seductiveness necessary to segue into the Black Swan later in the program. Thomas even asks Nina to 'explore' her sexuality - to loosen up.
The greatest threat to Nina's sanity is rival ballerina, Lily (Mila Kunis); a less-talented dancer, but uninhibited free spirit who oozes the kind of sensuality that Nina lacks. Lily has the perfect traits for the Black Swan. Ultimately, Thomas chooses Nina over Lily with hope that she can "let loose" & grow into the Black Swan persona in time for the premiere performance. But Nina's fragile state gets exacerbated by an unfortunate series of events. Not only does her rivalry with Lily transform into a sort of twisted 'friendship', but she becomes continually paranoid that Lily is trying to sabotage her. Their ambiguous relationship reaches a boiling point. And the more Nina attempts to get in touch with the Black Swan's dark side, the more her reckless psyche wreaks havoc.
The cold, competitive world of NYC ballet is the perfect setting for a psychological thriller. Why, you ask? Well, because the ballet world is so closed-off, so insular, so aimed at attaining "perfection" - that the psyche of ballerinas must be inherently fragile to begin with. They look in mirrors all day. They practice 'til they bleed. They train their bodies to move abnormally. They compare body types with other rival dancers. They try, desperately, to impress their misogynistic male directors. So when a woman with a heightened mental fragility starts to lose her mind in a world that's already as messed-up as it is ... you know the shit's about to hit the fan. Furthermore, as we watch, we're never sure what to think because poor Nina's sanity is often in doubt. Is something horrific happening TO her? Is she hallucinating? Are her nightmares real? Because of those instabilities, our own perception is as warped as hers.
This movie also contains strong elements of horror. Through use of visual effects, trick imagery, & astonishing make-up work ... I sat in my seat with clenched fists & never even looked down at my soda to take a drink. I can't remember the last time a movie gripped me so much so as to make me forget my soda, haha. Various images verge on gross-out. Plenty of images scared the bejesus out of me. And there's a sequence near the end (on stage) that almost made me leap out of my seat. Along with horror, the film has a hefty sexual nature, as well. The character of Nina, most would say, is sexually repressed. And a few scenes are so luridly sexual (including masturbation & female-on-female cunnilingus) that I sat with my mouth agape.
From a technical standpoint, the film is exceptional. The editing of the dance sequences is stellar; and juggling all the variations of what's inside Nina's fractured mind is no small feat. The tone of the movie is wonderfully discordant. Matthew Libatique's cinematography is haunting & evocative; using close-ups, pan-aways, zoom-ins, off-angles, & blurred visions to great effect. We never know if the point-of-view we're given is real or not; I love that. The production design is unique; lots of mirrors (where Nina - and others - can always analyze what's imperfect about their bodies/dancing), lots of cold grey sets, & plenty of pale pink props for contrast. The costumes aid the story well. The use of make-up (whether it be skin make-up or blood) is some of best of the year. The sound design (constantly hearing the fluttering of wings/feathers) gave me goose bumps. And Clint Mansell's Tchaikovsky-themed score is great, too.
Natalie Portman is a revelation, here. As the pitiful, insecure, unhinged Nina, Portman shows us what happens when someone becomes overwhelmed with repressions, sugar plum dreams, & lofty ambitions. And when someone who isn't all 'with it' aims for perfection, they crash when that perfection is unattained. Portman - who danced when she was young - trained for this role, lost 20 lbs. to look like the emaciated frame that ballerinas strive for, & transformed Nina from a lonely, anxious, delicate flower to a horrifying, and tragic heroine. My favorite scene of hers is when she breaks down in relieved joy while telling her mom that she got the part. Brilliant. Vincent Cassel is great as Thomas, imbuing a sexy, edgy, slightly complicit figure in Nina's free fall. As infantilizing mommy dearest, Barbara Hershey is suitably creepy & off-puttingly loving in every scene she shares with her "sweet girl". And Mila Kunis' one-dimensional role is actually trickier than you'd expect. She's excellent at embodying 2 or 3 different characters (how Nina perceives her). And in the end ... it's as if we never really knew Lily, at all.
'Black Swan' lulled me into its woozy nightmare plot. And I walked away from the film with a forceful emotional response. Not gut-wrenching sadness, but emotion. This is an immersive, superbly acted, batsh*t crazy psycho-thriller that freaked me out & mesmerized me in equal measure (the last 30 min., in particular, are as thrilling a conclusion of a film that I've seen in a long time). I have respect for what the filmmakers achieved, their passion, their intensity, & am exhilarated by the visceral experience they gave me. As a portrait of artistry as schizoid perfectionism; a study of someone's all-consuming ambition, 'Black Swan' knocked me out. Artistic perfection cannot be achieved. If only Nina would have realized this halfway through her rapturous, if flawed, premiere performance.
Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is a sweet, but driven ballerina; aspiring to make it to the top of her ballet company. She lives in a claustrophobic Upper West Side apartment with her controlling, obsessive, failed ballerina mother (Barbara Hershey). And her life is consumed with dance (dieting, stretching, breaking-in her shoes, cracking knuckles, practicing, repeat). Nina also has mental anxieties (complete with self-mutilization), & those neuroses are magnified when imperious artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for a revised version of 'Swan Lake', & Nina is his choice to play the duplicitous Swan Queen! She's ecstatic. But while her innocence & technique makes her the 'perfect' fit for the White Swan, she lacks the spontaneity & seductiveness necessary to segue into the Black Swan later in the program. Thomas even asks Nina to 'explore' her sexuality - to loosen up.
The greatest threat to Nina's sanity is rival ballerina, Lily (Mila Kunis); a less-talented dancer, but uninhibited free spirit who oozes the kind of sensuality that Nina lacks. Lily has the perfect traits for the Black Swan. Ultimately, Thomas chooses Nina over Lily with hope that she can "let loose" & grow into the Black Swan persona in time for the premiere performance. But Nina's fragile state gets exacerbated by an unfortunate series of events. Not only does her rivalry with Lily transform into a sort of twisted 'friendship', but she becomes continually paranoid that Lily is trying to sabotage her. Their ambiguous relationship reaches a boiling point. And the more Nina attempts to get in touch with the Black Swan's dark side, the more her reckless psyche wreaks havoc.
The cold, competitive world of NYC ballet is the perfect setting for a psychological thriller. Why, you ask? Well, because the ballet world is so closed-off, so insular, so aimed at attaining "perfection" - that the psyche of ballerinas must be inherently fragile to begin with. They look in mirrors all day. They practice 'til they bleed. They train their bodies to move abnormally. They compare body types with other rival dancers. They try, desperately, to impress their misogynistic male directors. So when a woman with a heightened mental fragility starts to lose her mind in a world that's already as messed-up as it is ... you know the shit's about to hit the fan. Furthermore, as we watch, we're never sure what to think because poor Nina's sanity is often in doubt. Is something horrific happening TO her? Is she hallucinating? Are her nightmares real? Because of those instabilities, our own perception is as warped as hers.
This movie also contains strong elements of horror. Through use of visual effects, trick imagery, & astonishing make-up work ... I sat in my seat with clenched fists & never even looked down at my soda to take a drink. I can't remember the last time a movie gripped me so much so as to make me forget my soda, haha. Various images verge on gross-out. Plenty of images scared the bejesus out of me. And there's a sequence near the end (on stage) that almost made me leap out of my seat. Along with horror, the film has a hefty sexual nature, as well. The character of Nina, most would say, is sexually repressed. And a few scenes are so luridly sexual (including masturbation & female-on-female cunnilingus) that I sat with my mouth agape.
From a technical standpoint, the film is exceptional. The editing of the dance sequences is stellar; and juggling all the variations of what's inside Nina's fractured mind is no small feat. The tone of the movie is wonderfully discordant. Matthew Libatique's cinematography is haunting & evocative; using close-ups, pan-aways, zoom-ins, off-angles, & blurred visions to great effect. We never know if the point-of-view we're given is real or not; I love that. The production design is unique; lots of mirrors (where Nina - and others - can always analyze what's imperfect about their bodies/dancing), lots of cold grey sets, & plenty of pale pink props for contrast. The costumes aid the story well. The use of make-up (whether it be skin make-up or blood) is some of best of the year. The sound design (constantly hearing the fluttering of wings/feathers) gave me goose bumps. And Clint Mansell's Tchaikovsky-themed score is great, too.
Natalie Portman is a revelation, here. As the pitiful, insecure, unhinged Nina, Portman shows us what happens when someone becomes overwhelmed with repressions, sugar plum dreams, & lofty ambitions. And when someone who isn't all 'with it' aims for perfection, they crash when that perfection is unattained. Portman - who danced when she was young - trained for this role, lost 20 lbs. to look like the emaciated frame that ballerinas strive for, & transformed Nina from a lonely, anxious, delicate flower to a horrifying, and tragic heroine. My favorite scene of hers is when she breaks down in relieved joy while telling her mom that she got the part. Brilliant. Vincent Cassel is great as Thomas, imbuing a sexy, edgy, slightly complicit figure in Nina's free fall. As infantilizing mommy dearest, Barbara Hershey is suitably creepy & off-puttingly loving in every scene she shares with her "sweet girl". And Mila Kunis' one-dimensional role is actually trickier than you'd expect. She's excellent at embodying 2 or 3 different characters (how Nina perceives her). And in the end ... it's as if we never really knew Lily, at all.
'Black Swan' lulled me into its woozy nightmare plot. And I walked away from the film with a forceful emotional response. Not gut-wrenching sadness, but emotion. This is an immersive, superbly acted, batsh*t crazy psycho-thriller that freaked me out & mesmerized me in equal measure (the last 30 min., in particular, are as thrilling a conclusion of a film that I've seen in a long time). I have respect for what the filmmakers achieved, their passion, their intensity, & am exhilarated by the visceral experience they gave me. As a portrait of artistry as schizoid perfectionism; a study of someone's all-consuming ambition, 'Black Swan' knocked me out. Artistic perfection cannot be achieved. If only Nina would have realized this halfway through her rapturous, if flawed, premiere performance.