***1/2 out of ****
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and Winona Ryder
Running time: 108 minutes
The sweet, innocent bliss of the backstage musical finds a bite and a libido in Black Swan, easily the best psychosexual thriller to be set in the world of ballerinas.
One decade after Requiem For a Dream introduced zealous film lovers to Darren Aronofsky, the director has crafted another tale of tormenting addiction (although others may find it akin to his last feature, The Wrestler, which was also a compelling character study set in a world of very physical competition).
The addict at hand is one Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), a dancer for a professional New York company who scores the coveted lead role in an ambitious director’s (Vincent Cassel) re-imagining of “Swan Lake.” Her addiction is to become the most exquisite ballerina in the company, achieving perfection on centre stage to rapturous applause.
But, Nina is required to master two performances: the White Swan and the Black Swan (the film is dominated by these yin-and-yang colours throughout). Poised and graceful, she easily excels at the former role – thanks to the rigorous support from her mother (Barbara Hershey), a failed dancer who cares for her daughter with the utmost dedication (she still cuts Nina's nails and insists she remain in their grimy apartment each night).
Unfortunately, her fragile physicality and demand to nail technique over feeling does not enable her to grasp the role of the villainous Black Swan. Since her director takes a shine to an aggressive new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis) - who embodies the sexual allure of that part – Nina feels threatened.
Her personal sacrifices to obtain perfection are burrowing down on her, and she’s going slightly mad – seeing double visions of herself, conceiving some frighteningly sinful fantasies, and, oh yes, her skin becomes mysteriously enflamed. The situation becomes kinkier when Nina, a couth, virginal woman in comparison to the naughtier Lily, is seduced into opening up her body and experimenting with herself sexually. To play a character with a dark side, Nina must explore her own.
Black Swan is one of the most grueling cinematic experiences of the year – Nina's psychological battle with her own demons is startling and disturbing. This is a film where you will be tempted to shield your eyes but will not be able to resist being mesmerized by Portman’s tour de force and Aronofsky’s boldly orchestrated theatrics. On a different level, the film's plot is structured similarly to that of "Swan Lake," which will make subsequent viewings of this film intriguing.
Clint Mansell’s score, a rearranged composition of Tchaikovsky’s "Swan Lake," is haunting (and due to its reliance on adapted material, sadly ineligible for an Oscar), while Matthew Libatique uses a handheld camera and close framing to become attuned with the intricate movements and glorious physicality of the ballet performances. Unfortunately, Aronofsky moves the film into sensory overload a few times too many in the final third, relying more on booming “Boo” scares than psychological ones.
Portman, who was so fiercely confident in Leon and Closer, dedicated herself to 10 months of training to perfect the poise and professionalism of a ballerina. Try to think of an actress who prepared for a role of such mental and physical exertion, and then also had to portray aching vulnerability while having to grapple with delirious obsession.
It’s the performance of her career, and considering that she has already filled her filmography with several landmark roles, that only means one thing: time for Portman to start clearing out her awards mantle.
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