By Matt Brunson
BLACK SWAN
****
DIRECTED BY Darren Aronofsky
STARS Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel
Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan is a messy masterpiece. Like Apocalypse Now, Eraserhead and Aronofsky’s own Requiem for a Dream, it’s one of those films that will force viewers to either reject it outright or allow it, however reluctantly, to burrow into the brain and remain there for days, weeks, months on end. It’s a character study writ large, a juicy melodrama operating at a fever pitch. And at its center is Natalie Portman in an astonishing performance that surpasses even her work in such films as Closer and V for Vendetta. Portman’s cast as Nina Sayers, a ballerina whose methods involve clockwork precision but leave little room for true passion. Nevertheless, her director (Vincent Cassel) decides to take a chance by casting her in the lead role of his production of Swan Lake. But in true All About Eve fashion, just as she replaced an aging star (a knockout bit by Winona Ryder), she fears being usurped by a sexy troupe newcomer (Mila Kunis). Meanwhile, the home situation is equally strained, given the fanatical devotion of her mother (an excellent Barbara Hershey, in a twist on Piper Laurie’s mad mom from Carrie). Is Nina strong enough to withstand myriad challenges, or is she on the verge of cracking up? The answers are all there, but the film is complex enough to leave wiggle room for any theories. Examining the process of suffering for one’s art in a strikingly unique manner, this psychosexual thriller is by turns frightening, sensual, humorous and tragic. It’s a galvanizing picture that’s simultaneously elegant and coarse — like its protagonist, it manages to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.
(Matt Brunson picks Black Swan as the best picture of 2010. Go here to see his complete Best & Worst lists.)
Related Stories
Noah: Bold Biblical flick makes a splash
This article appears in Dec 14-20, 2010.
Matt, please forgive me for telling you publicly that you are a moron for comparing Black Swan to Apocalypse Now. In 30 years do you honestly believe BS will even be spoken of in film circles? Maybe….probably not.
Yes, it was a great thriller…nothing more.
Hi, Maya. Thanks for writing. I’m having trouble, though, finding the line in my review that reads, “In 30 years, Black Swan will be discussed in film circles like Apocalypse Now is today.” The comparison has nothing to do with longevity; it has to do with the fact that Black Swan, like the three other films I cited, will inspire strong base reactions in viewers (the type of unsettling feelings you don’t get from watching something like, say, Little Fockers), and not everyone will be enamored with the end result. (Apocalypse Now may be considered an undisputed classic today, but back in ’79, it had more than its share of detractors.)
Cheers!
I dont get it. The movie was just weird, and not in a good way. Once they gave away the ending by having the protagonist actually verbalize it midway thru the movie, something I’ve never seen before, the movie lost a ton of credibility with me.
The film was an amazing epic I thought, a true exploration of the nightmarish ID side of each of our personalities. Perhaps part of my jubilation came because I wasn’t expecting an all-out horror film and ended up getting this fascinating blend of horror film and art film. Natalie Portman was amazing, the directing was superb, and this is a film I’ve instantly added to my list of inspirations as an indie filmmaker. Thumbs up!