So for the first time in a couple years I decided to venture out to the movies to see the most buzzed about indie feature of this holiday season (instead of waiting for the DVD) and I must confess that I was completely blown away with Black Swan as it reminded me of the psychological thrillers that Brian DePalma churned out back in the day.
The story centers on ingenue Nina (Natalie Portman) a bulimic ballet dancer, that lives with her domineering mother Erica scarily played by Barbara Hershey who through a series of disturbing scenes controls all aspects of Nina's life. Other notables in the cast included Winona Ryder (who I had no idea was in the movie) as the aging dancer/little princess Beth who doesn't take her retirement very well, Mila Kunis as rival Lily (black swan?) and Vincent Cassell (the art thief from Ocean's 12) as Thomas the slime ball director of the NY ballet. Both Portman and Hershey are at the top of their game in their respective roles and deliver a chillingly dysfunctional and unnervingly toxic parent-child dynamic. Is it wrong that I thought that Natalie looked fantastic with her anorexic body or that I really was missing Barbara's collagen lips?
The film itself is a stylishly crafted work of genius with gritty real world environments, interspersed amongst fantastical visual imagery (particularly a scene in a nightclub that was viscerally amazing), to moments of darkness that suggest another world within itself. Underlying the film is a sexually charged subplot that at times I found was a bit distracting (if completely unnecessary) from the overt advances of the director, to moments of awkward self exploration all culminating in a lesbian sequence (which may or may not have occurred) that caused the old couple in the front row of the theater to pack up and leave. Be warned that there are many disturbing scenes involving physical pain and self mutilation that I did not expect as well as some moments of humor that had myself and the people around me giggling.
This one is definitely the must see film of the year and with Tron being a bust I may have to see it again.
As a bonus (at least for my showing) you get some great previews including the Tree of Life with Brad Pitt looking breathtaking (for the first time in years) , Water for Elephants with Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson who I will say (one time and one time only) looks beautiful and the number one reason to hate (if you don't already) Gwenyth Paltrow as an aging singer in Country Strong with Gossip Girl's Leighton 'Blair' Meester (sounds like a trainwreck).
3 comments:
I have hesitated to see Black Swan for one really odd reason, I had read she peels off parts of her skin (like big chuncks) and that grosses me out more than anything on earth. I know...weird. I had a friend who worked in a mental facility and there was a patient who used to peel inches of skin of his body and throw them on the wall, I'm gagging just typing this....
Jen
dear anonymous ... yes ... that happens.
The only point where I disagree with you is on the "sexually charged subplot". First of all I didn't even see the directors actions as real sexual advances, but as his twisted form of motivation; and overall I didn't see the exploration of her sexuality as a subplot at all, but as a central theme that was integral in development of that character.
There was not one bad performance in the entire film. Portman's was jaw-dropping-ly good (easy Oscar?) Hershey, Winona, Cunis, Cassell were all near flawless.
The blending of reality and fantasy, the examination of how people choose to abuse there bodies (shadows of the Wrestler). The extreme Mother-Daughter dynamic; And the way you actually felt her fear, confusion, anxiety and pain. No other movie this year tried to as much as this did, let alone succeed so spectacularly.
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