BLACK SWAN
Go see Black Swan.
The purely beautiful and the hideously ugly weaved intricately to deliver a smashingly dramatic, cinematic ballet. Black Swan displayed, in a most artful way, the madness of the obsession that dance and competition are as art.
*************************************SPOILER ALERT******************************************
As an artist & a former dancer, I could relate to some of the madness that comes with sleep deprivation, food deprivation, constant competition, the pressure to perfect an expression of creativity. Nina, played by Natalie Portman, experiences a madness that goes back further and deeper, includes her mothers issues and their dynamic, and of course is taken to a dramatic level. I love that the story of Swan Lake is also the story of Black Swan. She seems to be falling in love, a love that seems perfect, until he / the choreographer / the ballet falls in passion with another. Is just the the other side of her? Or is it her falling in love with her altar ego and killing off her old self? It's her altar ego that ultimately mortally wounds her. We've all had our experience with the altar ego to some degree; imagine if developing your altar ego was the main focus of your life? That is at the core of the horrifying ride Nina finds her self spinning out of control on. Taking Aronofsky's ride with Portman in the drivers seat had me both floating and jumping out of my seat (horror).
I loved how effortlessly the beauty and ugly were intertwined. I appreciated the extreme close ups of pointe work, the back muscles of the elder dance matron coaching the Swan's arm movements. I remember having a defined back like that - I missed it in that moment. I appreciated how clearly the athleticism of the art was displayed. How "in her body" Nina / Portman is, from the moment she awakens and even in her dreams.
Football players have an idea what ballerinas go through, but their fans rarely do.
The film focuses on how damaging it is to imagine and strive for perfection. I appreciate that according to the choreographer in the story, perfection includes passion, not just technique. It is not just the delicate beauty, it's also the destructive chaos that come together to create perfection in this cinematic experience.
Portman, Hershey, Kunis and Ryder's performances were stellar! Portman proved herself as a lead actor who can carry the weight of a film on her shoulders, do what it takes (the training had to be brutal) to inhabit the character and bring in the bucks!
The screenplay, direction, production, costume, make-up, hair, special effects make-up, CGI, performances- all lined up beautifully...dare I say, perfectly. Black Swan is Aronofsky's masterpiece and Portman's greatest performance.
The purely beautiful and the hideously ugly weaved intricately to deliver a smashingly dramatic, cinematic ballet. Black Swan displayed, in a most artful way, the madness of the obsession that dance and competition are as art.
*************************************SPOILER ALERT******************************************
As an artist & a former dancer, I could relate to some of the madness that comes with sleep deprivation, food deprivation, constant competition, the pressure to perfect an expression of creativity. Nina, played by Natalie Portman, experiences a madness that goes back further and deeper, includes her mothers issues and their dynamic, and of course is taken to a dramatic level. I love that the story of Swan Lake is also the story of Black Swan. She seems to be falling in love, a love that seems perfect, until he / the choreographer / the ballet falls in passion with another. Is just the the other side of her? Or is it her falling in love with her altar ego and killing off her old self? It's her altar ego that ultimately mortally wounds her. We've all had our experience with the altar ego to some degree; imagine if developing your altar ego was the main focus of your life? That is at the core of the horrifying ride Nina finds her self spinning out of control on. Taking Aronofsky's ride with Portman in the drivers seat had me both floating and jumping out of my seat (horror).
I loved how effortlessly the beauty and ugly were intertwined. I appreciated the extreme close ups of pointe work, the back muscles of the elder dance matron coaching the Swan's arm movements. I remember having a defined back like that - I missed it in that moment. I appreciated how clearly the athleticism of the art was displayed. How "in her body" Nina / Portman is, from the moment she awakens and even in her dreams.
Football players have an idea what ballerinas go through, but their fans rarely do.
The film focuses on how damaging it is to imagine and strive for perfection. I appreciate that according to the choreographer in the story, perfection includes passion, not just technique. It is not just the delicate beauty, it's also the destructive chaos that come together to create perfection in this cinematic experience.
Portman, Hershey, Kunis and Ryder's performances were stellar! Portman proved herself as a lead actor who can carry the weight of a film on her shoulders, do what it takes (the training had to be brutal) to inhabit the character and bring in the bucks!
The screenplay, direction, production, costume, make-up, hair, special effects make-up, CGI, performances- all lined up beautifully...dare I say, perfectly. Black Swan is Aronofsky's masterpiece and Portman's greatest performance.