Black Swan
I saw it. I liked it, even though I expected to mostly dislike it.
[SPOILERS]
I believe Aranofsky has been trying to realize something through film, but that he's failed repeatedly. He has been attempting to show consuming, romantic ecstasy achieved through obsession. His problem has been that his protagonists always have the opportunity to choose a decent alternative to this obsession. In Black Swan there is no Marisa Tomei, no putting down the needle, etc. We're left rooting for total immolation, which is maybe where Aranofsky wanted to take us all along.
It's a shame for those of us who've sat through his depressing movies that it took him this long to figure out how.
I also thought the movie was occasionally funny, for example when during the climactic performance of the ballet near the end, Nina walks by the dancer playing the sorcerer Von Rothbart (I think) backstage and he says something provincial like "what's up" or "hey". I laughed out loud.
Black Swan is not perfect, but after so many years of essentially making the same movie, Aranofsky has earned the right to be be judged according to his own context.
[SPOILERS]
I believe Aranofsky has been trying to realize something through film, but that he's failed repeatedly. He has been attempting to show consuming, romantic ecstasy achieved through obsession. His problem has been that his protagonists always have the opportunity to choose a decent alternative to this obsession. In Black Swan there is no Marisa Tomei, no putting down the needle, etc. We're left rooting for total immolation, which is maybe where Aranofsky wanted to take us all along.
It's a shame for those of us who've sat through his depressing movies that it took him this long to figure out how.
I also thought the movie was occasionally funny, for example when during the climactic performance of the ballet near the end, Nina walks by the dancer playing the sorcerer Von Rothbart (I think) backstage and he says something provincial like "what's up" or "hey". I laughed out loud.
Black Swan is not perfect, but after so many years of essentially making the same movie, Aranofsky has earned the right to be be judged according to his own context.