Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
I am not a big fan of ballet show. I don't even know what ballet is all about although I did enjoy some of the music. But I have seen some documentary showing how hard it is to train to become a ballerina. Being a ballet dancer, a good one, you must be exposed to hard training and the philosophy of pleasing others since you were young. I wonder whether it can also damage the soul, not only the physique. However I find ballet as a form of art under appreciated for it's rigorous training and preparation.
However what I like from this film is how Aronofsky manages to make ballet accessible to most viewers by tying it into his favorite theme, obsession. Aronofsky's movies are full of obsession. Pi is about a man's obsession on numbers, Requiem for a Dream is about obsession with drugs and happiness, The Fountain is about a husband's obsession with his wife and The Wrestler is about an aging wrestler obsessed to make his own last action.
Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is a dedicated ballerina. You can see how her mother is very protective and intrusive about Nina's career up to a level of horrific intrusion. The director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) makes a decision to put on a new rendition of the classic Swan Lake. With the leading ballerina, Beth (Winona Ryder in her short but stunning performance) forced into retirement, Nina is chosen to be the swan queen and ordered to embody black and white swan.
Nina take it too seriously, she danced tried to be so perfect. Meanwhile she face a competition from Lily (Mila Kunis), another ballerina and Thomas, although brilliant, seem to abuse his powers to Nina. Soon she began to question her sanity, what is real and not began to blur.
The rest is a horrific tale on obsession and what it cost to be perfect. You can see both sides of Nina, the innocent and sexually repressed little girl whose sole purpose of her life is to please her mother and in the end, turns into a 'black swan' who can dance as if she become, not only act it on the stage.
The last 30 minutes is a thrill that makes you remember why you like movies, it's the experience of watching fine acting from all of the castand directing that mimics life and takes your soul into a ride you never take before. It's not as mindfuck as Inception or as visually orgasmic as Avatar, but this one is an artgasm that cannot be translated into words. It's the feeling of content and catharsis upon viewing one of this year's great film.
Aronofsky has a talent and by this, I am waiting for his next movie. I hope Wolverine will be another The Dark Knight from Aronofsky.
However what I like from this film is how Aronofsky manages to make ballet accessible to most viewers by tying it into his favorite theme, obsession. Aronofsky's movies are full of obsession. Pi is about a man's obsession on numbers, Requiem for a Dream is about obsession with drugs and happiness, The Fountain is about a husband's obsession with his wife and The Wrestler is about an aging wrestler obsessed to make his own last action.
Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is a dedicated ballerina. You can see how her mother is very protective and intrusive about Nina's career up to a level of horrific intrusion. The director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) makes a decision to put on a new rendition of the classic Swan Lake. With the leading ballerina, Beth (Winona Ryder in her short but stunning performance) forced into retirement, Nina is chosen to be the swan queen and ordered to embody black and white swan.
Nina take it too seriously, she danced tried to be so perfect. Meanwhile she face a competition from Lily (Mila Kunis), another ballerina and Thomas, although brilliant, seem to abuse his powers to Nina. Soon she began to question her sanity, what is real and not began to blur.
The rest is a horrific tale on obsession and what it cost to be perfect. You can see both sides of Nina, the innocent and sexually repressed little girl whose sole purpose of her life is to please her mother and in the end, turns into a 'black swan' who can dance as if she become, not only act it on the stage.
The last 30 minutes is a thrill that makes you remember why you like movies, it's the experience of watching fine acting from all of the castand directing that mimics life and takes your soul into a ride you never take before. It's not as mindfuck as Inception or as visually orgasmic as Avatar, but this one is an artgasm that cannot be translated into words. It's the feeling of content and catharsis upon viewing one of this year's great film.
Aronofsky has a talent and by this, I am waiting for his next movie. I hope Wolverine will be another The Dark Knight from Aronofsky.
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