Friday, December 24, 2010

Black Swan


No matter how often I see ballet dancers I never get over how strong, graceful and beautiful that they are. The dedication and pressure that one must commit to to be anywhere near great in that field is stunning. I can barely sit crossed legs on the couch so I just sloth and leave the beauty to those who deserve to be admired for it.

Of course that world also freaks me out a bit. Like Olympic gymnasts, these elfin beauties are live dolls to be played with and molded into whatever their coaches or directors deem is right for the production or performance of the moment.

The story involves two dancers played by Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. One is a free spirit while the other is tormented by her talent and the demands she puts on herself.


It's a fascinating look at the world of a dance studio where the director is GOD (and often more vain than the dancers themselves). Early on in the movie he comes to inspect the dancers and we see how they instantly change themselves to show off their best 'selves'. Any extra clothing comes off so that their true physique is visible to the Maestro. It's like lining up kids at the orphanage on Sunday in their best cloths so as to show them off for parent's to adopt.

As with most of Aronofsky's work there is a lot of symbolism going on here. The production of Swan Lake have black and white swans as characters and so the film has black and white edges to everything despite the fact that, in life, nothing is like that and nothing is ever what it truly seems to be.

Natalie Portman (Nina) is hypnotic as the dancer who may be losing her mind as she chases her dream of dancing the lead role in 'Swan Lake'. There is little for her to say so her body must tell the story of her decline and by using camera shots that themselves dance around the performers, the director is very effective at keeping us interested in what is going on - or may NOT be going on. You would understand if you had seen the film and you SHOULD see this film.

We have all seen this Natalie Portman before - sweet, vulnerable, beautiful. She is the white swan in real life. What really makes her a dynamic actress is when she gets to show the other side of herself, the black swan of films like 'The Professional' or 'V for Vendetta'. She has a way of both revealing and hiding her sexuality at the same time and I see this is why Aronofsky cast her for the lead in this picture.


Now Mila Kunis (Lily) is all black swan. She is sexy and dirty and you want to see her do sexy and dirty things. If anyone is going to bring out the 'black' in Natalie, it will be Mila. (The fact that Mila married McCauley Culcun only proves my point. She wanted to take the sweetest child actor we can remember and turn him into a porn star - well metaphorically a porn star).

I love the way that Aronofsky tells a story. He caught a hold of my attention and I never knew where this movie was taking me and that made it one of the best film experiences I have had in a long time. There were moments here that made me feel terrified and this is a BALLET movie!!! There are moments that rival ‘The Fountain’ for sheer awe as I watched this gentle dove become the evil black swan that she was meant/manipulated into being.

All I can promise you is that I will never have my daughters be dancers. Those pointed toed hellions are just too hardcore for me. Hockey players, yes. Ninja assassins - sure. Time travelling archaeologist with a command of mystical weaponry....well, duh. Just never a girl with mental pressures and body issues like the girls I saw tonight. They just broke my heart and freak me out enough to never want to walk into a darkened dance studio.

4 comments:

Laura said...

Great review Cal! I cannot wait to see this movie. I've been so excited about it!!!!

((Hugs))
Laura

Wandering Coyote said...

So, this is the second positive review I've heard from this in a week, and only one negative (from the CBC). I might have to check it out. Thanks for the review!

Sam G said...

Looking forward to this. Love he picture above with Natalie and Mila.

Kal said...

I like it more that I think about it today. Aronofsky is a great director and storyteller and Natalie will be nominated for an Oscar for her performance, no doubt so you owe it to yourself to see it.

I really hope the rumors of him directing Wolverine 2 with Logan in Japan are true. Lots of good things in those stories to mine for material.