I’m fairly annoyed at myself. I cannot believe I have never seen a film that is directed by Darren Aronofsky. I have heard praise for his films, such as The Fountain, The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream and Pi. Sadly, these films haven’t been as high on the radar as they should have been. So imagine my anger when I see Black Swan and realise I am witness to one of the best directed films I have ever seen, as well as being one of the most beautiful.
Black Swan revolves around the ballet Swan Lake and the conflict in Nina Sayers’ (Natalie Portman) life as she has to develop her darker side in order to portray not only the fragile and delicate White Swan, which is a perfect description of Nina, but also the dark and evil Black Swan.
The conflict in Nina’s life come mostly from those around her: her mother (Barbara Hershey) is overbearing, attempting to live the rest of her failed career through her daughter; the sexually forward and extravagant ballet instructor, Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel); and the rival for the starring role, Lily (Mila Kunis). Through interactions with this supporting cast, and others, Nina begins to lose her mind and becomes less like her White Swan self and delves deeply into the hedonism and sexual exploration that encompasses the role of the Black Swan.
Portman’s acting in this film is perfect. Some have criticised it for being far too one-note at the start of the film, yet this is to establish her character as she begins to express more of the repressed feelings that exist within her. This creates a contrast that can be seen through many other elements of the film.
In regards to the supporting cast I find what may be my only criticism of the film, and that is that they do not seem to get enough screen time, apart from Thomas. Cassel as Thomas shows himself to be both repulsive and charming. As the audience we are never sure what to think of Thomas. Though he appears to take advantage of Nina, he seems to be doing it for the reason of the ballet, and even then he seems to strike a note of being charming, even if he is sexually assaulting Nina. The scenes he is in are usually filled to the brim with emotion, be is sexuality, anger, passion or delight.
Lily, sadly, needed more screen time. She is seen to be the rival to Nina, being more like the Black Swan, contrasting the entirety of Nina’s life. This rivalry is very well implemented, with tales of Aronofsky pitting both Portman and Kunis against each other and keeping them as separate as possible. Erica, Nina’s mother, also needed more screen time. We see at first that she is a slightly pushy mother, but as the film goes on we understand her obsession with her daughter and her success. Through this character we can really see why Nina is like she is and understand what has been repressed.
In the way of directing, this film is simply beautiful. A constant motif of white and black is used throughout, with most everyone around Nina wearing black to symbolise their corruption, whilst Nina wears white (to symbolise her purity and fragility) until she becomes more like the Black Swan, now wearing darker clothing. Another motif used is that of mirrors, which can be seen in almost every scene. These seem to be symbolic of another version of oneself, as well as reflection upon oneself. Thankfully, though these motifs appear in most every scene they do not seem forced and do not stick out enough to ruin the film.
One of the best directed films I have ever seen, and possibly what will turn out to be my favourite film of 2011 (yes, even this early on!), Black Swan is simply beautiful. Throughout most of the film I forgot I was in a cinema and felt like I was in the movie, extremely so within the climax, which was so gripping that I refused to move for a long period of time after the film had finished. With a dramatic, tear-jerking and bittersweet ending, this film is near-to what Nina Sayers strives for within this film: Perfection!
Final Verdict: 10/10
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