Natalie Portman in Darren Arnofsky's 2010 Black Swan.So I’m a little delayed on this review, so here it goes.
A little over two weeks ago I went to see Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, and I must say, I was disappointed with the movie. Don’t get me wrong it was a very good movie, but somehow I expected a lot more from it.
The acting was overall well executed; Natalie Portman was stunning and executed the role of Nina beautifully. However, the script should have shown us more of the black swan. There was too much focus of the fearful timid Nina. The audience needed to see more of the transformation, more of the black swan. I mean, isn’t that what excites the audience? I wish the character of Vincent Cassel, the company’s director had more time and greater part in the story. His character, although strong, lacked depth, and I wanted to see more of him. He is an excellent actor who was not used to its full potential. If he would have seduced Nina, it would have fallen under a cliché, but I still wanted it, the writing should have played and developed this. I wanted to see how Nina reacted; I wanted to see her get caught in the moment turning into the black swan as the white swan fights back. The scenes with Mila Kunis were amongst the strongest and most interesting. She played a strong contrasting character in contrast to Portman’s white swan.
Overall, the movie barely pushed boundaries. The much heard word of mouth disappointed me. The weakness lies within the story. We saw too much of Nina’s white swan, and after some time, it’s just tiring. Why would the writers tell us the story of Swan Lake? Through out the movie, we can see how this is a contemporary version of the famous ballet. Why do I need someone to hold my hand and guide me through something that the movie is already showing me, it’s the writers doubting the audience’s ability to make the connection (wait, is the voice of my roommate?). I feel cheated by the writers.
One of my greatest problems with this movie was the music, especially at the beginning. From the beginning I was tense, fearful and stressed. But I couldn’t understand why? Why was I stressed over a young ballerina who lacked confidence? I should have felt curious, I should have wanted to cheer her on, but all I could feel was an inexplicable stress. As the movie progresses that feeling should have grown, there was a reason for it, but from the beginning it was unnecessary.
The cinematography was beautiful, perhaps the strongest element in the movie. It balanced elements of art movies, a psychological thriller and the Oscar favorite elements of drama. Lastly, the ballet was stunning. Benjamin Millepied’s chorography was exquisite through out the entire movie. I don’t know if it’s the innovative chorography that the company’s director kept promising to his contributors, but it is with out a doubt choreography that engaged me and exalted feelings one seeks in a ballet performance.
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A note on the MPAA: This fall there was quite the drama over Blue Valentine NC-17 rating for having a sex scene that went beyond an R rating. Surprisingly so, this kind of sex scene was also feature between two woman and more explicitly in Black Swan. But no one uttered a word regarding this scene. Is a balding Ryan Gossling trying to make love to his wife (played by Michelle Williams) far more explicit than two beautiful women in a passionate scene?
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