Review of "Black Swan"

Black Swan (2010)
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, and John J. McLaughlin
Starring: Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder
Review by Jennie Brouse



Synopsis: A devoted ballerina finally gets a leading role in one of her ballet company's productions, but, as opening night gets closer, the pressure of it all becomes too much for her to bare.

Review: Black Swan is a unique movie, to say the least. I guess you wouldn't expect anything less from director Darren Aronofsky, who brought you Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler. In Black Swan, Nina Sayers lives to be a ballerina. She dances day in and day out, and lives in the hope that she will get the part of the Swan Queen in the company's upcoming production of "Swan Lake." Once she actually does land the part, though, things go haywire. Her dance instructor, Thomas (Vincent Cassel), tells her that she's perfect for the part of the White Swan, but she'll need to work to become the Black Swan. Nina's relentless quest for perfection to become the Black Swan send her on a downward spiral to nothingness. As the movie goes on, Nina slowly loses her mind.

Although not my cup of tea (I enjoyed The Wrestler more), Black Swan is a good movie. It's thrilling and scary and will keep you trying to make sense of the movie long after it is over. It makes you fall into a sort of dream world; it makes the audience feel how Nina feels, unsure of what is and isn't real. The performance from Portman as Nina is wonderful as well, as are the performances from all of the supporting actors.

Overall, I would say to see the movie for the performances. Portman is great, Kunis is great, Hershey (as Nina's extremely overbearing mother) is great, Cassel is great, and Ryder is great (and incredibly scary). So if you want to see an incredibly well-acted, albeit really creepy thriller, go see Black Swan.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Upcoming review: The King's Speech