Black Swan
"You can't tear your eyes away" (Entertainment Weekly) from this "wicked, psychosexual thriller" (Daily Variety) starring Academy Award winner Natalie Portman and directed by Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler). Portman delivers "the performance of her career" (Vanity Fair) as Nina, a stunningly talented but dangerously unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her driven artistic director (Vincent Cassel) and the threat posed by a seductive rival dancer (Mila Kunis), Nina's tenuous grip on reality starts to slip away - plunging her into a waking nightmare.
Member Reviews
Pretentious, boring, predictable - CaptainDave
Well, if you're in high school you'll probably think this is a pretty cool, deep, meaningful movie (wow, she turns into a swan!). If you're an adult, you'll be annoyed by the pretentions, the predictable black/white and mirror thematics (I get it already, I get it) and the unimaginative mommy/girl relationship (hey, like you know, her name is Nina, which in Spanish means...). Portman spends a lot of time - a lot - being weak and weepy. Click, click, click go the gears and into the trash go any real emotions: the one thing the movie is supposed to be about.Atmosphere, Not Performances Make the Movie - PrinceofIdleness
I know Ms Portman got an Oscar for her performance in this film, but the real stars of the show are the sets, the lighting and the atmospherics of the film. It's watchable, compelling even, but not because of the performances of the human actors. They all seem remote, static, caricatures not characters, simulations of life, not alive at all.
Which, I think, must be Aronofski's point. The story is a highly polished fable - just like the ballet at its centre. The characters in the central roles are not people so much as they are mythic types: the pure virgin, the loose woman, the lecherous powerful man, the witch-like mother.
This all comes together as pretty strong stuff, very very beautifully shot and painstakingly staged - all on a tiny budget, I understand, and a punishing shooting schedule. This is a work of great artistry and worth the time to watch.Black Swan - CrazyCatLady
I loved this movie. I expected it to be dark, but was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't quite as disturbing as I thought I might be. However, I can see how other people could be deeply disturbed by it.
Natalie Portman. What can I say? I don't think I've ever seen her give a bad performance, and she was fully deserving of all the awards she won for this role. As others have said, she was perfectly cast as Nina, a young balerina coping with the ability to "integrate her shadow" (you Jungians know of what I speak) and tap into her darker nature/dark side in order to bring the emotional intensity needed to perform the role of the black swan queen in Swan Lake. She becomes convinced that a new member of the ballet company named Lily (Mila Kunis, Jackie from That's 70's Show) is out to take her role, and the movie follows Nina's tragic descent into mental illness.
The acting, music, dancing, costumes, etc. were all excellent. I found the story profound on so many levels, whether it was Nina trying to cope with her mother issues, or her tenuous grip on reality. I highly recommend this movie with the disclaimer that it's not for everyone.
Member Reviews
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Pretentious, boring, predictable - CaptainDave
Well, if you're in high school you'll probably think this is a pretty cool, deep, meaningful movie (wow, she turns into a swan!). If you're an adult, you'll be annoyed by the pretentions, the predictable black/white and mirror thematics (I get it already, ...Atmosphere, Not Performances Make the Movie - PrinceofIdleness
I know Ms Portman got an Oscar for her performance in this film, but the real stars of the show are the sets, the lighting and the atmospherics of the film. It's watchable, compelling even, but not because of the performances of the human actors. They all ...Black Swan - CrazyCatLady
I loved this movie. I expected it to be dark, but was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't quite as disturbing as I thought I might be. However, I can see how other people could be deeply disturbed by it.
Natalie Portman. What can I say? I don't ...