"It's about a girl who gets turned into a swan and she needs love to break the spell, but her prince falls for the wrong girl so she kills herself."
'Black Swan' was not at all an Aronofsky masterpiece. This film had me greatly excited from the first few months of its hyped buzzing around and couldn't wait to get a screening of it. But boy did I regret it when I finally sat down to it.
Albeit my bias opinion, I will of course be an objective reviewer and start from the plot:
"A ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan - Princess Odette - but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile, the Black Swan." (www.imdb.com)
All's fine and well with the acting of the obsessive character of Nina, who's performed by Natalie Portman, whom I admire, but something in the story seems lacking. It is beyond me that all of the facts in the film were constructed against the theme of sexual repression and how suffocating this must have been for Portman's character. Don't get me wrong, I do not doubt Portman's abilities as an actress to express this frustration only the story got me very irritated in ways of pacing, rhythm and technique. In all honesty the scripting could have been handled in more subtle ways thus not making me feel so appalled by the unnecessary vulgarity and sexualism that was promoted in the film.
Aronofsky is many times hailed as an insane genius and I will grant him his past successes but not this time. This time he couldn't have made it more majorly expressive that he cared more about the spectacle and the selling of the film, rather than the story itself. Of course people will run to the film houses when they hear a one-on-one girl-on-girl action, something which in my opinion gave the film very bad credibility and execution. Was that the standard by which I was suppose to go and watch this film or by the acting, the directing, the light and the costume design?
Granted I will put a thumbs up for the music score and the costume design as these two department did an extraordinary job in their creation in both atmosphere and style. The always astounding music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky that designed the whole film through was a guilty delight to follow the week plot line, as well as the remarkable costumes being created for the grand finale of Swan Lake. These two factors simply elevated and promoted to a more quality level the whole film.
Be sure that Aronofsky and Portman, as well as Mila Kunis, have great things to offer in the business, everyone in their field of course, without this little filmic bedazzling endeavour deters from their quality as artists.
It would be wrong of me to suggestion a no-screening whatsoever of this film, and although quite negative towards the whole shenanigans spectacle I do encourage you to sit down to watch it. If nothing, you will the very least enjoy the music and the always handsome presence of Vincent Cassel.
Black Swan (2010)
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