Many apologies for the long absense, blog readers! I have definitely been kept on my toes with real work lately, but at last I find a spare moment to share with you a nice little movie I have seen lately. Well, alright, it is not particulary "nice" in the classic definition. This movie is a thriller, or perhaps a mystery? It's hard to classify! You just must know from the start that it is dark.
Natalie Portman is amazing as Nina; a sensitive and perfection-driven dancer for a New York ballet company, living with her oppresive mother and dreaming of one day landing a big role. She gets her chance when director Thomas Leroy played by Vincent Cassel casts her as the Swan Queen in his creative re-telling of the timeless Swan Lake. There is a catch, though. Nina must master not only the grace and innocence of the Swan Queen, but the evil and sensuous Black Swan, who at times her director deems is more appropriately suited to Nina's fellow dancer, Lily, played by Mila Kunis.
A rivalry is born because of this, and we see the two of them striving against one another for the same goal, each reflecting the other's differences, and yet at one point managing to break through the scorn that divides them into a twisted friendship, where Nina learns from Lily how to embrace her inner dark side; consequently opening a door to insanity that cannot again be closed.
This was probably my favorite part of the movie. Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis are fascinating to watch, the one very proper and polite, yet yearning for an escape from her constricted life, while the other loves the wild life, laughing at risk and assuring those around her laugh too. She actually may have impressed me a bit more than Natalie, (who won the Oscar for Best Actress), due to the contrast of other things she has done, including "That 70s Show" where she played Jackie. I was always wondering what her character of Lily would do next, and at times even wondering if she real - or just a projection of Nina's unhinged mind!
This film was stark and visceral in its style, and I for the most part, loved it. I think the theme that best sums this film up would be: obsession. That said, this film was not scary to me. I really was hoping for more horror elements, but what it contains is more mysterious than spooky. There are many tricks of the camera and mirror-play which morph the characters of Nina and Lily, leading you as a viewer along on a roller coaster ride of dizzying confusion... which isn't entirely pleasant.
Due to drug use, profanity and some graphic sexual scenes, this film is rated-R. Even I must admit that the squeamish and easily offended viewer need not consider watching some of them! You can find a description of some details here, if you don't mind spoilers:
It had a limited budget which did not even afford the production to hire a medic for the set. Natalie Portman had had ballet instruction as a child, but was injured both by twisting a rib, and also sustaining a cuncussion from hitting her head. She lost 20 pounds to play the character of the petite ballerina, but doubles were used for most of the full-body shots. Pregnant when she accepted her Best Actress Award at the Oscars, she actually met her fiance on the set of "Black Swan" and danced with him as her partner in a few scenes. Sometimes the stories behind the art are just as interesting as it is!
Overall, this movie was good, but not great. I must admit that my expectations were fairly high after waiting as long as I did to see it on DVD, and afterward watching the Oscars. My experience with it was not unlike "La Vie En Rose" which won Marion Cotillard the Oscar for Best Actress in 2007, but failed to impress me as a whole and entire film.
I would rate "Black Swan" with a 7/10. What did you think?
No comments:
Post a Comment