Review of Black Swan

When the credits first rolled at the end of Black Swan all I felt was disappointment mixed with a little anger. It wasn’t the film I had expected and I felt a little cheated.
But then I went home and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And a week later I was still thinking about it. It’s become ingrained in my mind and the more I think about it the more impressed by it I become. That’s how subconsciously powerful it is.

First off, I have to reiterate the fact that this film is not for everyone. Like Aronofsky’s other work it is dark, it is brutal and it is taxing on your emotions. I got the impression that a lot of people in the cinema were there to watch what could be an Oscar-winning performance from Natalie Portman without realising what sort of film they were about to see. And it was interesting to see how many distressed faces there were when the lights came up at the end.

Natalie Portman’s turn as the titular ballet dancer is fragile, sad and demure and watching her descent into madness is upsetting and troubling. From the first glimpses of a possible double in the opening half hour to her full on psychopathic frenzy in the last you really watch her unravel and gain insights into her broken mind.
This is what the film does best – portrays a deteriorating mental state through hallucinations, sounds and actions. It becomes difficult towards the end to know what is real and what her mind has created in the effort for her to become the Black Swan Queen.

The supporting cast are perfunctory and somewhat clichéd, which was one of the main problems I had with the film (the other was the clichéd use of mirrors/reflections). Mila Kunis’ Lily in particular seems to be purely a token opposite for us to judge Nina by; her strengths are Nina’s weaknesses and vice versa. Vincent Cassell’s Thomas is passionate and sleazy but ultimately two dimensional.
The shining light amid the supporting cast is Barbara Hershey, a terrifying and domineering force on Nina as her mother, who seeks to control and pacify her only daughter.

So, since that initial disappointment and anger I am desperate to see Black Swan again.