OSCARWATCH 2011 - Black Swan

Darren Aronofsky's film about a perfectionist ballerina who wins the lead in the show "Swan Lake" turns quickly to a shocking thriller as we watch her slowly lose her marbles. Natalie Portman is wonderful as Nina, the unstable ballerina who starts questioning everything around her as the date of the big show gets nearer and nearer.

A wonderful supporting cast of Barbara Hershey as Nina's overprotective/borderline creepily obsessive mother, Mila Kunis as her wild and uninhibited castmate, and Vincent Cassel as her demanding (and sleazy) director help shape the world that is crumbling around Nina with wonderful, intense performances.

The entire movie makes you sit on the edge of your seat, wondering what could possibly happen next. And while the shocking scenes don't generally feature people screaming or jumping out of nowhere to scare you, the effect of the movie is eerily more shocking than a traditional horror film. At times it's so uncomfortable to watch there were gasps from the audience (or little noises of disgust from my grandmother sitting next to me...probably not the best film to see while sandwiched between your mom and grandma).

When we finally arrive at the end of the film, our minds are so engrossed in Nina's world that it's hard to decipher what's real and what's not, leading to some very unexpected realizations as we fade to white (which I think was a nice touch by Aronofsky). And although we are left with our own interpretation of what happened after the fade, it's clear that Nina is a very changed character from who we met in the beginning of the film.

I enjoyed the film, especially the cinematography, which was beautiful, helping to give the movie a realistic feel that makes the unsettling scenes even more jarring. Some scenes were a bit too much for me, and I once I even had to cover my eyes for a second because I was so grossed out by what Nina was doing, but they added to the overall creepiness of the film. The juxtaposition between the gorgeous dancing scenes and the shocking, disturbing scenes also helped this film achieve it's creepy feel.

The other great part of this film is Natalie Portman's performance as Nina. She takes the audience on a journey with her that is both shocking and horrifying, and she does it with the attitude of someone who is doing everything they can to be perfect, and we really feel that from her. It's almost as if we're watching Nina's innocence being taken away within the course of 2 hours, and Portman really delivers to make the audience not just watch that change, but feel that change. Quite a feat. She also did all the dancing herself, which is amazing as well.

Overall, I thought this movie was well made -- it kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next, the ending totally surprised me, and the acting was great. But I'm not sure if I really enjoyed watching it. And although I think that was the intention of the filmmaker, and I appreciate his vision, it took a bit away from the film for me. That's why I'm giving it a 4 on the Marci Scale. And one extra prediction here? Portman will walk away with the Best Actress statue.


Rating:

4 out of 5 on the Marci scale.