Black Swan (2010)

There are some areas of film making that directors and writers fear to tread in. Subjects that are best left alone in fear of having to explore the realms of the dark and sinister. I had my doubts about Black Swan, hearing about its plot and slightly controversial themes, I expected it to be another one of those movies who brushes over and does not full focus on the deep and often complicated topic of mental illness. Well, Darren Aronofsky (Noah) brings to life a sinister tale that follows the troubled life of Nina played by the talented actress Natalie Portman (Thor, V for Vendetta) who brings to life perfectly her character Nina's life which begins to spiral out of control. Nina's desire to become the Swan Queen in her ballet companies new performance of 'Swan lake' begins to become a staple need in her life and begins to take over every inch of her being before she is all consumed by this urge to be the lead. Through her struggle, she is confronted by a host of obstacles who not only stop her but begin to taint her sight and change her. Mila Kunis (Ted, The book of Eli) plays Lily, a competing ballet dancer who tries to build a friendship with Nina and is one of the main components to Nina's life but her positive beginning seems to become more negative as time wears on. Her mother, who constantly fluctuates between moods and who keeps Nina locked up and kept pretty and neat, removing her from any taste of real freedom. Nina's ballet coach Thomas Leroy played by Vincent Cassel (Oceans Twelve) begins to advance on Nina, his own passion and strong desire for Nina also begins to add to her descent until she stops being the white Swan queen she was so often described and praised for, but begins to become Odette, the black Swan who is everything Nina wants to avoid. I had my doubts about this film and hearing mixed reviews coming from all angles and many negative comments on the relationships portrayed in this film, I personally believed they were executed perfectly. Portman played Nina perfectly, so much so that I could not imagine any other taking the role. Every second of Portman's screen time you can see the emotion and effort she shows when trying to act as the troubled Nina. Kunis also acted well as she was able to contrast with Portman's stellar acting by juxtaposing herself with Portman so we can see the depth of Nina's troubled character. The editing and quality of the shots were perfectly executed. A highlight for me was the last section of the film on the stage. The way the angle of the shots seemed to glide over Portman as she danced which made her movements seem flawless and the colours and lighting used seemed to highlight the actors in an astounding way. Every scene flowed into each other to create a perfect flow throughout the film. It may seem like a plot that is predictable and simple, however it gets to a point where you question what is real and you begin to experience the confusion that Nina must be going through, you begin to understand what Nina feels and a slight feeling of empathy as you too experience what it is like to not be able to separate dreams from reality. The director seems to touch on the issue of mental illness very well and demonstrates to the audience how it feels and I especially enjoyed how we always saw things through Nina's eyes which made us understand her complex character much more than the surface showed. However, I felt that more time could have been spent trying to build a more complex relationship between Nina and Lily, as I felt that their moment together was slightly sloppy and I don't think it allowed Portman to explore more of Nina's character which made her seem very petty and silly. Personally, I would not recommend anyone under the age of fifteen to watch this film as I found there were many mature themes that I feel would be unsuitable for a younger audience, however I found the use of movement and dance in this film to be extraordinarily done and I envy the amount of talent that went into that performance. You don't have to be a die hard fan of ballet to enjoy this movie, I feel that those who enjoy psychological thrillers would benefit much more from it. The film is often mistaken for a horror film, but personally I would fit it into the suspense thriller category. Yes, there are a few scenes that may confuse people into thinking it's a horror, but I think the title of 'thriller' is much more appropriate. Overall, I believe that Aronofsky did a perfect job on Black Swan, creating a psychological thriller that stays with you for a while afterwards as you begin to truly understand the spiralling descent that Nina goes through and the real effects that these types of illnesses can have on people. An astounding piece by some truly talented actors and actresses.