Black Swan

Although Black Swan appears to be made from the same dough as The Wrestler, it is only half true. Yes, it fits quite well superficially - the concept is actually similar, intimate body camera, ruthless details, long tracking shots, scenes of mutilation in the name of foolish desire (again, it is a desire expressed by roaring crowds). But it cannot be overlooked that in one important respect, Black Swan is antithetical to The Wrestler. While The Wrestler was a film where the inside of the hero remained hidden and it was a documentary record of gradual doom, in Black Swan everything is outward, the pain is written into horror expressive scenes, the heroine's psychoses are "Freudian" amplified and accentuated by various dreamlike chimeras. Everything inside happens on the outside at the same time, and the viewer is trapped in the snares of an unreliable storyteller. Where reality ends and Nina's fantastical projection begins is sometimes difficult to decipher. Some of the scenes are suspiciously conventional (you can see it well in all the horror jump scares and phantoms) and I couldn't shake the impression that for the mutating surface, Aronofsky missed what was not visible in The Wrestler, yet was physically felt - an intimate plane of pain "out of desire" leading to the final grand gesture of self-destruction. Black Swan is essentially ancient during the ending, but it didn't affect me nearly as much as Randy's last “ram-jam". Everything is in place here (a famous camera, a devastating Natalie and a magnificent musical accompaniment), yet ecstasy did not come. I think Aronofsky was able to go deeper in the past without theatrical props. (01/17/2011)

Yeah, it’s alright. In the end, I hope it helps real ballet because the over-hyped fans will go see what the girls who are mutilating themselves actually like about it. Otherwise, it's a solo Portman film, no question about it, and it’s more disappointingly inconsistent genre-wise. A few of the special effects are very bad. The mom seems to be right out of Carrie, which didn't have to be the case. Winona, on the other hand, was a delight, but she always is. Cassel is nothing special. In the end, it’s a well-aimed advertisement for ballet, which names like Aronofsky and Portman helped bring to the people. (02/12/2011)

Perfection, obsession, paranoia, beauty. The faltering mind of a young ballerina is a very unreliable guide through this non-traditional drama. Ballet in itself seems like something so entrancing, so perfect that violating the privacy of preparations for something so sacred, could well be called blasphemy. But that is just how Aronofsky shows the reality, the rivalry, the carefully prepared choreography and especially the devotion to the story depicted in the piece. Natalie Portman gives one of her best performances and her Nina is just as delicate as the spinning ballerina in her music box. Their devotion, their thirst for perfection and absolute commitment to their character go hand in hand. If this does not get that supreme award this year, it will be a disgrace for the whole Academy. On the other side of the spectrum, Mila Kunis is the exact opposite of the White Swan, playful, passionate, fallible, yet so much more beautiful with her dark self, showing through her every smile. Music-wise, it’s a masterpiece. The combination of classic variations on Tchaikovsky and Mansell’s dark electronic minimalism form a surprisingly compact unit. The close-ups, even during most of the ballet scenes, add to the intimacy of the piece, creating an emotional rollercoaster that’s hard for the viewer to recover from. Amazing and, especially, original. It was perfect. (02/15/2011)

After the solid but not entirely satisfactory Wrestler, Aronofsky consolidates his position among my most favourite directors. The first hour of Black Swan is pretty similar to Wrestler – we follow very closely (almost intimately) one person at a turning point of their lives, we feel their emotions and every one of their injuries. This is not always very pleasant, Aronofsky knows how to transmit pain from the screen to the viewer like few others. This “introduction” would already be enough for four stars, but the last half hour shattered, disarmed and decimated me; utterly so. I felt a constant chill on my back and I shivered like an aspen tree; my eyes an ears were unable to perceive anything but the film. No other film this year has made me feel like this. 100 % (12/22/2010)

An unexciting attempt at psychologically sophisticated art. Slightly irritating in places, unconventional thanks the interesting ballet setting, but an attempt nevertheless. Someone should tell Aronofsky that he is not the Kubrick of the 21st century. I admire the difficulty of ballet as an art, as well as Tchaikovsky's magical music, but this film is so empty and uses so many horror tropes that it's maddening. Hype of the year. PS: If it wasn't for Natalie Portman, who put so much effort into her role, I'd go even lower with the rating. (12/25/2010)