Genuinely disturbing films are rare in an age where horror is synonymous with gore. It is even rarer that a film leaves any lingering mark on the psyche or stays with you beyond the doors of the cinema auditorium. Even those films tipped as being 'scary thrillers' fail to haunt you afterwards. 'Black Swan', the latest film from director Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler), succeeds where other modern psychological thrillers fall down.
It is impossible to be anything but constantly on-edge as we follow Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) on her extraordinary spiralling journey into delusion and psychosis. A dedicated and perfectionist dancer in a New York City ballet company, Nina has been trying to win bigger roles for some time, and finally gets her chance when she is cast by the imaginative director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) to play the lead in "Swan Lake".
Nina isn't his initial choice; to play both the White Swan (the Princess Odette in swan-form), and the Black Swan (Odile, the daughter of an evil magician sent to tease away Odette's prince); she must be controlled and graceful as the first and seductive and wild for the latter. Having won her director over and secured the role, however, Nina still feels like she has competition in the form of a new dancer in the troupe: Lily (Mila Kunis). The newcomer has caught Leroy's eye with her more sensual and abandoned style of dancing and looks to be a threat to Nina's hard-earned position.
As the film progresses, we see Nina fall victim to paranoia and rapidly lose touch with reality until the story eventually reaches a thrilling, dark climax.
It is beautifully shot from start to finish. Unusually for a full-length feature film, there are few sets. Barring one or two short scenes, all of the action takes place at either Nina's apartment, which she shares with her ex-ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey), or the ballet rehearsal studio. The latter location provides an opportunity for lighting to play a huge part in the look of the film. Contrasts between dark and light play a considerable role in keeping the tone of the film edgy and unsettling.
The dancing, naturally an important part of a film focused on a production of the famous ballet, was consistently credible and the choreography was impressive enough to keep the viewer engaged throughout. Natalie Portman went through months of rigorous ballet training for the role in order to portray a convincing ballet dancer. In addition, she and Mila Kunis had to lose twenty pounds off their already-trim frames to look right for the parts.
A rich and eerie score by Clint Mansell, who also composed the iconic music for Requiem for a Dream, expertly reimagines and weaves snippets from the original "Swan Lake" by Tchaikovsky into the atmospheric, suspenseful soundtrack.
At the centre of 'Black Swan', we have a truly astounding performance by Natalie Portman, which has already won her the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. She is also tipped to win the same honour in the 2011 Oscars.
The rest of the cast also execute their roles to a very high standard, resulting in a very convincing and compelling reality. From the care-free and mysterious Lily, superbly pulled-off by Mila Kunis, to the obsessive, controlling mother played by Barbara Hershey, to the creative and womanizing director Leroy brought to life by Vincent Cassel; they are portrayed to perfection and beautifully support Natalie Portman's leading performance.
Runtime: 108 min
01/02/2011
