Saturday, February 5, 2011

Black Swan - Movie Review














1 hr. 43 mins  -  Drama | Thriller   -  3 December 2010 (limited)
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Fox Searchlight Pictures

Movie Tag: Black Swan is,  A very dark Intense melodrama, about a young ballerina who's fragile mental state deteriorates when she feels threatened by the talent of a new intoxicating dancer who has joined the company.

Black Swan, follows the story of Nina (Natalie Portman), a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like most of those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance.
Nina is first choice, when the company's director, Thomas (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace his once "Little Princess"  now aging, prima ballerina, Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) in his big production of Swan Lake.  Nina just needs to get in touch with her dark side, and does with a reckless abandonment that nearly destroys her and possibly others around her.

I realize this movie has been nominated for a few Academy Awards, Best Actress, Best Picture and Best Director - However, I struggled to fully enjoy this movie. It seemed to be a re-hash of a ballerina's struggle with perfection, a eating disorder and an over-barring parent and/or coach.  The notable difference with this version is it played out in a more hallucinogenic world.

Following a storyline is crucial in engaging the audience while allowing them to be entertained. I feel most audience members will find it somewhat difficult to tell when the characters are hallucinating and when they are not; making it difficult to enjoy.

Another interesting tidbit; They aren't jumping for joy over the (undeserving) Oscar nominations, instead they seem to think they are actually deserving of even more, apparently the fashion world threw a fit, because  the Mulleavy sisters were not part of the Costume Designers Guild, they were not even eligible for an Oscar for best costume.  But as someone pointed out, for this to have been a psychosexual, modern-day version of Swan Lake, Black Swan’s tutus were remarkably unimaginative — the kinds you would find in the most conventional ballet production.

It is a strong possibility that I may stand alone with my assessment of this movie, and Black Swan may or may not warrant one’s attention, either way, in my opinion it was not spectacular nor a masterpiece.   Swan dive is more like it….

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