Black Swan review by Vittorio Carli
“And you’re a prima ballerina on a spring afternoon; change on into the wolfman howlin’ at the moon.”
--Personality Crisis (the new york dolls)
“Black Swan” is a gutsy and compelling film about an an artist with a divided consciousness that puts her on a path towards self destruction. The film is disturbing on a primal level and it lingers in your memory like a good bad dream
This psychological horror/art film/ musical drama was the one of the best films to screen at the Chicago International Film Festival, and it is also one of the most provocative and engaging films of the year.
“Black Swan” is an unlikely but ingenious mash up of elements from “The Red Shoes” (a film about a ballerina who is totally consumed by her role); “Repulsion “(which is about a woman whose sexual repression gives way to murder); and “All About Eve (a backstage drama about an actress that will go to any lengths to steal a part).
The film was directed by the prodigiously talented and eclectic Darren Arronofsky, the man who gave us the insanely creative and highly experimental “Pi” (about a man who searches for God and the perfect number); the stylish junkie epic “Requiem for a Dream: the philosophically muddled “The Fountain;” and the triumphantly sorrowful sports comeback film “The Wrestler.” “Black Swan” might be his masterpiece, although it remains to be seen if it will age as well as “Pi.” To see my interview with him go to http://www.artinterviews.com/Darren.html.
“Black Swan” is populated by a superb female supporting cast (Portman and Kunis especially shine), and many of them are worthy of awards consideration.
Natalie Portman, who was excellent in “Closer,” is even more outstanding as a Nina, a waif-like ballet dancer who auditions for Swan Lake. As is customary, the lead dancer must play both the light/good protagonist and the dark/evil femme doppelganger. Nina is all light on the surface, but she secretly has a dark side, and she likes to cut herself.
The boss at the audition initially rejects her because he is convinced that she doesn’t have it in her to play an evil character. But her vampish, masochistic side comes out when she bites his lip, and draws blood which convinces him that she has what it takes (It’s interesting to note that Tchaikovsky is played throughout the film and one of his compositions also is used in the opening Todd Browning’s “Dracula.”)
Her triumph is a mixed blessing. Once the ballet brings out her dark side, there’s no turning back, and she begins to spiral downward.
The ultra talented, but underappreciated, Winoma Ryder plays the former ballet starlet who used to be the ballet master’s lover. She is unceremoniously brushed aside because he wants fresh blood. She falls apart outside of the spotlight, and her situation may be foreshadowing Nina’s future.
Mila Kunis, who played a vain, bubble headed beauty in the ‘”The 70s Show” is surprisingly effective in the role of the free spirited femme fatale who announces her nature with black wing tattoos on her back.
She vies for the attention of the ballet master, and opportunistically tries to steal the lead in the play (just like Anne Baxter did in “All About Eve”.) She gets Nina drunk plus high (and even seduces her) in order to make her lose the coveted lead role. But then again, the whole sequence could be the byproduct of Nina’s paranoid imagination
Barbara Hershey is also fine as Nina’s over-the-hill mom who smothers her daughter while she’s trying to help her. She encourages Nina’s repression and causes her infantilization. The whole relationship is reminiscent of the mother/daughter relationship in the brilliant “The Piano Teacher.”
Despite its familiar plot elements, “Black Swan” is an exhilarating drama that manages to simultaneously be artful, trashy, high brow, and fun. If Rod Serling and Mario Bava had collaborated on a Masterpiece Theatre remake of “Showgirls” it might end up like this.
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