Movies have told stories concerning a myriad of themes but one that most
would agree is unlikely to become a hit film is classical ballet. Ballet is
often viewed as a stuffy form of dance that women in the upper echelon of
society drag their reluctant husbands to in a night of formal wear and grandeur.
Over the years some ballet movies have managed to get produced an have met with
some degree of critical acclaim but none have managed to achieve the critical
acclaim and box office return as ‘Black Swan’. The film was not exactly an
overnight success. Costing just over $13 million it barely mad ten percent back
during its opening weekend which encompassed only 18 screens. This is a prime
example of the new found power of independent movies. Films like ‘Juno’ or
‘Little Miss Sunshine’ were made for a shoestring yet swept the award season and
generating hundreds of millions in returns. Fox Searchlight Pictures is the
division of the studio that gives the proper attention to smaller films with
great potential like this one. It would wind up pulling in over $110 million and
that is before DVD and Blu-ray sales. There are some now famous scenes that made
the rounds on the internet for the usual salacious interest but such
sensationalism could hardly propel this movie to the heights it reached. For
that you need the trifecta of great story, tight direction and imaginative
performances to make a real and lasting impact and ‘Black Swan’ has blended
those factors to become part of cinematic history. To say this is just a dance
flick is like saying ‘Rocky’ is a sports movie. Sure dance is at the heart of
the motivation and drives the numerous elements of the story but it serves more
as the foundation not the architectural marvel constructed on top of it. This
movie is at its core a tautly crafted psychological thriller that uses the
obsessions inherent in ballet as a backdrop of a probing study of the darkest
recesses of the human mind. Throw in some surreal special effect and this is a
film even the guys will gladly watch.
One of the most amazing aspects of this film is the creation of the story.
The main authors are tow relatively new to scripting; Mark Heyman and Andres
Heinz. To come with such a beautifully complex interwoven story that provides
for some of the most fascinating character development I’ve seen in quiet a long
time. I was mesmerized by this film from the first frame to the final role of
credits. It might not be immediate evident but the world of ballet on this level
is one of the most psychologically intense and physically grueling endeavors
known. The abuse ballerinas inflict upon their minds and bodies match or exceed
what profession athletes have to endure. This is the place for people able to
collapse the focus of their entire lives to a single point; prima ballerina, the
best of the company. Almost everything about this art form goes against nature;
it is not normal to leap and swirl on the tips of your toes. This deforms the
body and can warp the soul of the performers. This story captures this trying
experience bringing it to a level that resonates solidly with the audience.
Such an unconventional script as this demands a director of vision, well
versed in messing with the minds of the audience. Darren Aronofsky is the
perfect choice to helm a film like this. The fellow son of Brooklyn is able to
combine visually stunning camera work with psychological twists and turns that
originates on the pages of the script but truly take form in the way he presents
the story. His previous works ‘π ‘(Pi) and
‘Requiem for a Dream’ both exhibited this directorial style using strange,
surreal images to reinforce bizarre twists in the plot. Many attempt such a
degree of control but few can even approach the mastery of Aronofsky. All his
films to date are definitely taking a walk through the bleakest corns of our
minds bringing out the fearful hob goblins that we all carry. His main focused
here was begun in his other two major works; the effects of compulsion of a
person and how deep and slippery these impulses can be. He has looked a
mathematician searching for the meaning of a string of numbers and contrasted
addiction to legal and illegal drugs. Here the center of his examination is a
young ballerina, Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman). On her own Nina is motivated to
be the best dancer in the celebrated company she belongs to. She pushes herself
through the endless hours of crippling exercises and rehearsals in order to
achieve the role that are the Holy Grail for ballerinas, the lead in
Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. The internal pressure to succeed is monumental but is
constantly augmented by the constant pushing by her mother, Erica (Barbara
Hershey. Erica is desperate to live out her own failed dreams of being a prima
ballerina through her daughter. Nina’s alpha position in the company is
challenged by a young upstart, Lily (Mila Kunis). She threatens to replace Nina
not only in her lead position in the troupe but also personally in the eyes of
the director, Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel). The problem arises in the duality
inherent in the role. Nina has the darkly sultry black swan but is unable to
match the required innocence Lily brings to the part of the white swan. Nina
spirals deeper and deeper into the grips of mental instability. The symptoms
come directly out of the DMS VI (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders) with the increasing presentation of paranoia, anxiety, hallucination
eventually leading to a dissociative personality and ultimately an incredibly
filmed psychotic break. One thing about an Aronofsky film; no matter how well
you think you understand the flow of the story the conclusion will knock you off
your seat. The film brought Ms Portman her first Academy Award, not to mention a
new child on the way. Nominations were also earned for the imaginative
cinematography, editing and to Aronofsky for his direction. This is simply put
one of the most well crafted films I have experienced in many years.