Perhaps my expectations were too high.  Black Swan is getting excellent reviews and I have been hearing positive buzz for months. I do not see it as the masterpiece some are claiming it is, but the film has an excellent cast and is a fine psychological thriller.

Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is a dedicated ballerina, struggling to get bigger parts in her New York ballet company. She lives in a small apartment with her controlling mother Erica (Barbara Hershey), a former dancer.  Company director Tomas (Vincent Cassel) is considering giving Nina the lead in his new production of Swan Lake. But he is not sure she has the passion and sensuality needed to play the Black Swan, or to be his lover. Beth (Winona Ryder), the former star of the ballet and Tomas’ former lover, is not happy about being replaced.  And a backstage rivalry/flirtation with the vivacious Lily (Mila Kunis) could be dangerous. Is the role changing Nina, or is she losing her mind? Like the audience, Nina is not sure if she can distinguish fantasy from reality.

Director Darren Aronofsky envisions the ballet as a raw and gritty place. In many ways, the film looks and feels similar to Aronofsky’s excellent The Wrestler. Nina rides in dirty New York subways, walks in graffiti covered tunnels and rehearses in a dank looking space where the lights are frequently turned off prematurely. Nina appears to be lonely, isolated and completely consumed with her career. There are scenes of Nina vomiting and perhaps cutting herself.  Aronofsky does an excellent job of making ordinary moments seen tense and creepy and the film is at its best in these scenes. I had a visceral reaction to the scenes of Erica cutting Nina’s fingernails and Nina pulling back the bloody skin on her own finger. Many of Nina’s scenes have a surreal quality, and provide the kind of psychological scares that I enjoy. The film is not gory,  but there is just enough blood to provide a jolt. Aronofsky does an equally strong job with the dance sequences; their intensity and beauty seem dark and evil in this film.

What needs improvement here is the screenplay by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John J. McLaughlin.  Although the familiar themes of striving to be perfect, the performer being driven mad by a role, the cut throat competition and the older director preying on the younger girl are present here, the dialogue could be fresher and sharper. Some on the lines are laughable and detract from the film’s tension. “This role is destroying you,” exclaims Erica to Nina. “I want to see passion,” thunders Tomas at Nina. Rewrites, anyone? What makes the film a good one is the direction by Aronofsky and the superb work of the cast.

I applaud the intense physical preparation Natalie Portman had to do to play this role.  The gaunt Portman is believable as a ballet dancer, and she has an extra layer of vulnerability here. Her voice is soft and shaky as she tries to stand up to Tomas’ criticism and advances. But Portman’s love scenes with Tomas and Lily are raw and sensual. Portman makes Nina’s gradual transformation into the Black Swan and her possible descent into madness believable and thrilling. The beautiful Mila Kunis adds charm, humor and sensuality to the film. She deserves more starring roles. I love her scenes with Portman and wanted more of them. Is Lily just a party girl or a conniving backstabber? Kunis gives a performance that suggests both and still makes Lily likable. Barbara Hershey gives an especially good performance as Erica, Nina’s mother. She scared me as she tried to control Nina; she makes the scene where Erica pressures Nina to eat a piece of cake downright chilling. Hershey makes Erica seem both the loving mother and the evil mother. Vincent Cassel, so good in 2007’s Eastern Promises, is both charismatic and menacing here as the predatory Tomas. Winona Ryder does a fine job as the spurned Beth.

Black Swan scared me, in a good way. It is visually stunning. But the limits of the script prevent the audience from forging a strong connection with the central character. The film lacks the poignancy and depth of The Wrestler. I would have like to join Nina on a more complex emotional journey, but I will settle for the creepy thrills.  Black Swan may not be as great a film as some are saying, but it is good one.

Black Swan. Directed by Darren Aronofsky. Natalie Portman (Nina Sayers/The Swan Queen), Mila Kunis (Lily/The Black Swan), Vincent Cassel (Tomas Leroy/The Gentleman), Winona Ryder (Beth Macintyre/The Dying Swan) and Barbara Hershey (Erica Sayers/The Queen). Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 2010.

Gail sees a movie appears every Wednesday.

Tweet  Print This Post

Tags: Gail sees a movie // 2 Comments »