Black Swan is a 2010 American psychological thriller film directed by Darren Aronofsky. The film stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis as ballet dancers in a New York City production of Swan Lake. The production requires a ballerina to play both the innocent White Swan and the sensual Black Swan. Nina (Portman) fits for the White Swan and Lily (Kunis) fits for the Black Swan. When the two compete for the parts, Nina finds a dark side of herself.

Aronofsky conceived the premise by connecting his viewings of Swan Lake with an unrealized screenplay about understudies and the notion of being haunted by a double, similar to the folklore surrounding doppelgängers. The director also considered Black Swan a companion piece to his previous film The Wrestler, with both films' worlds involving demanding performances for different kinds of art. He and Portman first discussed the project in 2000, and after a brief attachment to Universal Pictures, Black Swan was produced in New York City in 2009 under Fox Searchlight Pictures. Portman and Kunis trained in ballet for months. Notable figures from the ballet world helped with film production to shape the ballet presentation. The film premiered as the opening film for the 67th Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2010. The film will have a limited release on December 3, 2010.

The Black Masterpiece. That's all I'm gonna say.

So I will only say, this decade's American Beauty.

not a compliment.

Beautiful, twisted, erotic, brilliant, enrapturing and bone-chilling. All are words that only begin to describe the subtle complexity and understated genius in director Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan.” After crafting a surprisingly realistic tale of acceptance and redemption in 2008’s “The Wrestler,” the indie filmmaker makes a transition back into an altered reality within one character’s tormented being.

Part “Devil’s Advocate,” part “The Shining,” the movie revolves around the exposition of two themes – the loss of innocence and the pursuit for perfection – and the evolving psychosis of Portman’s Nina. With the same grainy-style cinematography as “The Wrestler,” mixed with sequences of the demanding, physical aspects of being a ballerina, the film has the feel of a mesmerizing nightmare.

Aronofsky truly succeeds in the way he paces the story with its ever-growing sense of tension. When the film begins, viewers are introduced to Nina’s unusually sheltered life with her obsessive mother (played with a shockingly fierce intensity from Barbara Hershey) and how she handles herself in the ballet social-scene. This soon evolves into a study of Nina’s innocence and how she must mentally succumb to her inner demons in order to meet the demands of her role. With the introduction of the mysterious new dancer Lily (Mila Kunis, “Date Night”), Nina’s insecurities also begin to get the best of her. By the film’s final moments when Tchaikovsky’s tragic “Swan Lake” is at its climax, goose bumps and exaggerated heart rates are assured.

As much as this is Aronofky’s magnum opus, it is Portman who delivers a performance that rivals the greatness of Daniel Day Lewis’s Daniel Plainview in “There Will Be Blood.” Almost as impressive as her display of dexterity and gracefulness in her dancing is Portman’s ability to dive into a state of paranoid anxiety. While the screenplay employs numerous twists to help bring about her state of mental anguish, her change from a timid young girl to psychotic, crazy bitch is nothing short of Oscar worthy. And while Cassel embodies the characteristics of creeper teacher and Mila Kunis (“Date Night”) perfectly offsets Nina with a humorous lightness, it is Portman’s show all the way.

Filled with intense moments of lust, anxiety, desire, and passion, “Black Swan” is as much a Shakespearean tragedy as it is a sophisticated horror film. Like Tchaikovsky’s hauntingly beautiful composition, “Black Swan” is an unforgettable masterpiece that will stay with you long after the initial impression has faded.
Judgment: A Grandeur Cut (A)

From my Oscar Insight Blog:



http://www.unrinsight.com/?p=7968

Repeating him doesn't make you right...especially since he didn't provide any support or details. Just hot air. And PS. You both are wrong.

i agree w/ denby on this one

it's not BAD, it's never boring, but it's thoroughly ridiculous

definitely one of the most intellectually insulting movies since the blind side

It reminded me his debut feature Pi, except done with female leads and a bigger budget.

Warning to the squeamish: There's a short scene of graphic gore in Black Swan that puts 127 Hours to shame. Beware the finger!

The Red Shoes + The Piano Teacher + Repulsion + a lil' Cronenberg style = Black Swan

Aronofsky's best film to date. Likewise Natalie Portman's performance. What more could you want?

I pretty much loved it.

You know that it's not a Pixar film, right?