Classic Movie Review: Black Swan (2010)

Artistic and unsettling, Black Swan is a prime example of Darren Aronofsky's ability to create an uncomfortable and distressing film experience that audiences simply can't turn away from. Through a twisted and dark artistic lens, this movie asks one important question: how far will someone go for perfection? Through an overemphasized and dark view of the world of ballet, we receive a twisted and psychological flick that leaves us questioning our own emotional and mental states.

Nina (Natalie Portman) is an aspiring and dedicated ballerina whose entire life is ruled by her pursuits in the art form. When her company begins production on Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Nina becomes the front-runner for the role of the White Swan, however her lacking range restricts her from playing the contrasting Black Swan. Competition begins as Lily (Mila Kunis) assumes this opposite role, and we begin to glimpse into Nina's dark emotional distress and mental illness as she vies for perfection in her performance.

An obvious starting point in an analysis of Black Swan is its artistic style. This film is Aronofsky at his best; assuming his token surreal and disturbing style in creating a truly beautiful and dark flick. The style of the film can be seen as a reflection of Nina's psychological distress, and as she spirals further downwards in her mental state, the artistic form of the film follows suit. As the movie progresses it becomes increasingly surreal and figurative as we glimpse deeper into Nina's emotional schizophrenia and anxiety. Basically, expect to come out of this movie questioning whether anything actually happened or not. But not in a clichéd kind of way.

Just as beautiful as the film's style is the acting in the movie, and not without recognition. Natalie Portman's incredible portrayal of the twisted and tormented Nina snagged her the Academy Award for Best Actress, with Mila Kunis also receiving praise for her performance as Nina's twisted counterpart Lily. Natalie Portman's ability to convey such a wide range of emotions in this movie, from love and lust to schizophrenia, ultimately creates an incredibly dynamic and diverse character out of Nina.

Much like Aronofsky's other movies (Requiem for a Dream, Pi), Black Swan is disturbing and uncomfortable, but ultimately impossible to stop watching. We as the audience get to see the dark embodiments of Nina's struggling mental, emotional and sexual states, and respectively feel almost as messed up as Nina by the end of the movie. Grim and beautiful, Black Swan is definitely not just a boring film about ballet. As Nina states at the climax of the movie, "I was perfect". And the film was too.

Noah

Epics about biblical characters have been around as long as there has been cinema. And the list of actors who have played them is long, Charlton Heston as Moses, Willem Defoe as Jesus, Graham Chapman as Brian(?) Now to that list we can add Russell Crowe, a man who has long sought to corner the market on historical epics.

I'm going to keep my explanation of the plot to a minimum, partly because the story is so epic and partly because the story of Noah is so well known. After Man has become corrupt and evil from the power it has gained from fallen angels, called Watchers, God (known as the Creator) decides to punish everyone by sending a flood that will destroy all humanity. The Creator picks Noah (Russell Crowe) to build an ark that will carry all the animals of Earth, which the Creator deems to be innocent. Noah travels with his family to his grandfather Methuselah (Anthony Hopkins) who helps him in his task along with the Watchers. King of Men Tubal-cain (Ray Winstone) discover what Noah is doing and rallies Man to stop him.

Surprisingly for a movie based on a religious story, you'll find very little preaching going on. It is an interpretation of what is in the book of Genesis and I can only imagine a fair bit of creative licence. There is a sequence that I thoroughly enjoyed where Crowe narrates the story of Creation and a montage that includes the Big Bang and evolution is played. I thought this was a great merging of religion and science.

One aspect of this film that really appealed to the filmmaker in me was that up until the flood occurs, most of the special effects are done in a practical way and not computer generated images, well I think they were and if they weren't, it certainly fooled me. An example of this are the Watchers. These are huge rock monsters, reminiscent of the Rock Biter in The NeverEnding Story. To me, they looked like they were made with very advanced claymation techniques. Again, I could be wrong.

My feelings toward Russell Crowe have always been a bit tenuous. Everyone loves him for his roles in films like Gladiator and Romper Stomper, but I've never been able to get behind him. However, with this film I think I might have taken a turn. His gruffness turned to softness at parts and he wasn't putting on an affected accent that he does with all his other films.

Emma Watson has really been proving herself the last couple of years outside of the Harry Potter franchise, appearing in films like The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Bling Ring. Here she plays Noah's adopted daughter Ila and really showcases her emotional talents in the films more pressing scenes. Ray Winstone always is able to throw himself into his roles. He is a perfect pick for the earthy and somewhat demonic Tubal-cain.

Throw in some good performances from Jennifer Connelly, who must like being in Darren Aronofsky's films, and a berry-obsessed and humourous role from Anthony Hopkins.

Verdict: A good biblical epic that doesn't preach too much about the story's original message.