Whenever a film is nominated for so many prestigious awards I am rather sceptical as to whether it is deserving of the attention, however, Black Swan is probably one of the most deserving, and also surprising, receivers of such attention. After being mesmerised by Mickey Rourke’s compelling portrayal of a wrestler in Darren Aronofsky’s last hit film I was excited to learn that he was making a film from a female perspective and Natalie Portman’s gaze is one you will be captivated by. Portman plays Nina, a ballet dancer who wins the lead in a new production of Swan Lake, she epitomises the White Swan but there are doubts as to whether she is up to playing the Black Swan. The acting from the relatively small cast is sublime, but for me the stand out performance was from Vincent Cassel who plays the Director of the ballet company. He is both detestable and charismatic and seduces the audiences just as he seduces the ballet dancers. Cassel himself describes the film as baroque in style which is fitting but there is also a contrasting sense of realism in the uncomfortable extreme close ups and grainy hand held qualities reminiscent of The Wrestler. Aronofsky’s camera is up close and personal at all the right points and draws the viewer in to the beautiful and mad world.
Black Swan has been labelled a psychological thriller, but the film has strong horror influences and uses the conventions of the genre to great effect. I consider it to contain some of the most spine tingling and nausea inducing scenes in contemporary cinema, which is quite a bold statement but the combination of extreme close ups and sound left me squirming in my seat. Music also plays an integral part in the employment of horror conventions and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake piece becomes haunting and devastating. The costumes, as you would expect, are a character in themselves and at one point we see the costume literally take over Nina. The special effects for the scene are subtle and restrained and leave the viewer truly believing in the reality of this occurrence.
I did not expect to love this film but I did, I found it intriguing and emotional and I became absorbed in the characters and the cinematic world. It left me feeling exhilarated and seduced as well as completely devastated; it is an emotional journey with visceral visuals that will affect you for weeks if not months after. This is a film from one of the most exciting auteurs today and I cannot wait to see what he does next.
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