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Film Review: Black Swan

Posted by 07phillipsal from Vale Of Glamorgan - Published on 09/03/2011 at 13:04
3 comments » - Tagged as Culture, Dance, Health, Movies, People, Stage

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Film Review: Black Swan (2010)

Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, Vincent Cassel

Directed By: Darren Aronofsky

Genre: Drama, Mystery, psychological Thriller

Certificate: 15

Played by Natalie Portman in a smashing, bruising and committed performance, the young ballet dancer Nina looks more like a child than a woman. Just like her mind. When she goes to bed at night, a nearby jewellery box begins to play 'Swan Lake', as a crowd of stuffed animals watches over her; lifelong companions that as Nina and this dementedly entertaining film grows more un-hinged, begin to look more like jailers than friends.

The film opens at the New York City Ballet School where Thomas (Vincent Cassel), announces that the new season will open with Swan Lake. To that end he dumps dancer Beth (Winona Ryder) and replaces her with Nina to dance the lead role of the white Swan Queen, Princess Odette, but she becomes more like her evil black twin, Odile. The pressure builds on Nina and she falls apart. She stumbles and starts scratching at her skin, breaking down under the demands of the role.

The director Darren Aronofsky is a really amazing director and in Black Swan he uses other ballet shows to improve the film. It is about a woman who self-harms while striving for the perfect self, a description that seems to fit Nina. But such a reading only flattens a film that from scene to scene is deadly serious, downright goofy and by turns shocking, funny and touching.

“I think that Black Swan was an amazing film and sometimes dark”

5 out of 5 star rating

Images: christopher_aquino & Fresnobee