Writer: Mark Heyman, Andre Heinz, John McLaughlin
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel
Release Date: December 3, 2010
Length: 1 hour 48 minutes
The beautiful Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis star in Darren Arronofsky’s eerie sexual thriller Black Swan, a beautifully reflective story about a girl named Nina who lands the lead role of The Swan Queen in the company’s rendition of Swan Lake. Sheltered, innocent and mid-twenties Nina is unexpectedly chosen by the head of the company, Toma, a passionate, crude Frenchman that is oddly attracted to her. Toma knows that Nina can easily play the flawless White Swan but worries she wont be able to embody the dark sexy character of the Black Swan, the White Swan’s evil twin sister. Nina meets the new member of the company, Lily, a free-spirited easy going dancer who is virtually the opposite of the near-perfect Nina. At first, Nina is scarily confused by Lily but soon she befriends her and realizes how secluded her life is. She begins to awake the Black Swan within herself, which helps her in the performance but starts to corrupt her mind and drive her insane. This is a very artistic creative film that can be left up to interpretation without confusing you. It is just strange enough to keep your interest without being too unusual for the general audience to appreciate. Black Swan isn’t a complete mind trip where you wonder if it’s real or not but is an enthralling stunning two hours of subtle questioning of reality. Without the story, the film is visually magnetic enough to captivate the audience. It’s like watching a moving piece of art from one shot to the next. The hallucinatory aspect of the film allowed it to have intriguing and extraordinary visual backdrops and surroundings that set the disturbing tone of the movie so well. Natalie Portman is fantastic in her role as Nina as we watch her transform from naïve cold girl into a wicked grown woman. Portman somehow makes it saddening to see her go from good to evil but at the same time makes the audience intrigued by the black swan and desiring her to finally take over Nina. It is unsettling to say the least but I found myself under a binding spell where I was enchanted by this second personality. This is by far one of Natalie Portman best performances and rightly deserves recognition this coming Oscar season. This is Mila Kunis’ first role in a real dramatic film or at least in a film as dark and twisted as this. She also makes her character completely alluring but in a different way. Right off the top, she seems like a charming likable funny girl but obviously with a slight dark side. As Portman’s character becomes unstable, we see the interesting Lily, who may have caused this transformation, as really quite nice and normal. Not only is Kunis beautiful but she also makes her character extremely intriguing without making her seem crazy in the slightest. French actor Vincent Cassel is wonderful in his role as the sexually driven Toma. His constant sexual advances and comments toward Nina come off a little gross but sometimes funny as well. His relationship with Nina, although a bit creepy, is also extremely engrossing as the two actors share an unconventional chemistry. In a completely different direction from The Wrestler, Darren Arronofsky delves into a thrilling story that leaves you feeling upset and wonderful at the same time. Black Swan will make you not only question the character but how you yourself came to love this film so much.
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