Film Review: Black Swan

Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan is his best picture yet.

A visionary, anarchistic director best known for his most muted film, The Wrestler, Aronofsky provides a thrilling, moving experience with Black Swan. The film, set in the world of ballet dancing, is dark, paranoid, and visually arresting. Almost all of the performances are sharp, with a lead role played vibrantly by Natalie Portman. This picture, which could have been doomed to the horror/thriller graveyard in less capable hands, seems like a lock for Best Actress and Best Director nominations this award season. And rightfully so.

This movie was one of the most enjoyable film-going experiences for me in a long time. I was surprised, moved, frightened, confused, and at all times interested in the story being laid out before me. Aronofsky has full command of his technical and artistic faculties with this movie. By contrast, his picture The Fountain is a beautiful failure - artistically interesting, but inert from story-telling standpoint. The Wrestler provided more fertile story-telling ground, but was dull and laboring to look at. With Black Swan, the director brings all of his considerable talents to bear and the product is engaging and daring. The paranoia mounts for Natalie Portman and for the audience leaving us all wondering what is going on and what will happen next.

Portman's performance is truly impressive. The ballet work and physical effort that the role required should put her in the league of other method heavyweights who have slaved to prepare for a role. Daniel Day-Lewis' efforts to prep for Gangs of New York come to mind as we marvel at the effort that Portman put into the performance. Beyond being technically competent and athletically pure, the acting by Natalie Portman is terrific. Her character changes throughout the film from a wilting flower of maternally-abused, frozen adolescence into a dangerous live wire ready to lash out to preserve her fantasy. She earns her several "Academy-ready" scenes and steals the show. Her supporting actors help anchor the piece, notably Mila Kunis and Barbara Hershey. They do a terrific job and keep the audience guessing about who the real crazy person must be. Vincent Cassel does little but sleaze around the screen, but that's what his part demands. He does it well and leaves the audience feeling dirty.

The movie takes the audience places. Not all of them are places we want to be. But with Aronofsky's guiding hand, the expert use of music, lighting, costumes, set design, and special effects, all supporting a terrific performance by Portman, Black Swan is a must-see picture. I'd strongly urge you to see it in a theater and enjoy a serious, intelligent movie for adults who enjoy movies.