Before I start the review a quick note that I have been a bit busier lately and so these reviews have started to become weekly, which at the rate I'm watching films isn't going to be enough to clear the backlog that is developing so I will try and do a bit of a catchup this week, which might mean slightly quicker reviews but I'd like to remain as current as possible!
Today's review is for Darren Aronofsky's latest Black Swan, a tortured and surreal character-study set in the highly pressurised and competitive world of ballet dancing. Those familiar with Aronofsky's work so far (I was surprised to realise it was only 4 films strong at this point) will know that the film plays fast and loose with the typical conventions, in fact it comes across as a heady mix of the low-fi naturalistic look of The Wrestler, coupled with the nastier, divergent instincts of Requiem for a Dream. Natalie Portman plays the main character, Nina, who wins the role of the White and Black Swan in her companies newest production. Initially thrilled the appointment starts to take its toll on her physically and emotionally as the worlds of the ballet and reality converge. Portman is front and centre for the entire film and the whole thing rests on her shoulders, as proven by her deserved Best Actress Oscar she more than steps up to the challenge, she gives a wonderfully naturalistic and layered performance that sells the film even when events around her start to seriously go off the rails. Her Nina is a quiet and repressed girl, a vulnerable side that Portman has not often shown and her transformation through the film is wonderfully nuanced.
She is given good support all round, both Barbara Hershey (as Ninas controlling mother) and Mila Kunis (as a newcomer to the troop who may or may not have it in for Nina's role) impress with Kunis again showing what a likeable and engaging presence she can be on screen. Vincent Cassell is wonderfully slimy as the productions director, as he tries to get Nina to fulfil her potential in the duel roles she is tasked with, and this concept of duality and mirrors runs throughout the film. The central dilemma to the film, Nina's struggling with the role of the Black Swan (as opposed to the pure White Swan to which she is naturally suited) echoes throughout the film in all aspects, making it as much a psychological thriller as anything else.
As the film escalates there is the distinct possibility it could descend into silliness but it is to Aronofsky's credit that the tone never falters, right from the start this is an unsettling film, it's rhythm is atypical and it constantly plays with your expectations and perceptions. The film builds slowly, but remains a very intense and personal focus throughout. The early scenes shun wide establishing shots for claustrophobic over-the-shoulder tracking, the sense of Nina's enclosure within her own little world is writ large to the audience very effectively.
Black Swan is a difficult film to discuss and categorise, and it is all the better for that. I liked the film a lot and it's final images are some that will remain with you long after the film ends. Once again Aronofsky and frequent collaborator Clint Mansell (here sampling and using Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake to magnificent effect with his score) create a combination of sounds and images that linger in the mind and leave themselves open to interpretation and debate, in the way that only the best of cinema can do.
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