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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Black Swan Shocks, Disturbs, Thrills, and Excites - My Kind of Film

I don't know what I expected. I saw the trailer. I know the story of the Swan Lake. I love Natalie Portman. And I want Mila Kunis. Still I would never have expected to be so enthralled and so utterly disturbed by Black Swan.

If you think this film is about ballet, you are missing the point. Black Swan is about a young woman who knows what she wants but doesn't know herself at all.

The plot is simple. Nina, played by Portman, dances in the NYC Ballet and longs to be the Swan Queen. She lands the role and is perfect as the innocent White Swan. But she must find a way to dance the role of the sinister, sultry Black Swan as well. 

Nina's mother treats her like a little girl, the company director comes on to her, and a new company member seems set on stealing the role. But, in the end, the only one standing in Nina's way is Nina.

The film is terrifying and sometimes bloody. It is so scary because it's not bogey men in the night who threaten Nina, it is her own mind, blurring true and false and leading her to frightening behavior, which is sometimes real and sometimes not. That's the really freaky part. The audience is never quite sure when they are in the real world and when they are in "Nina's world."

This is not a film for dummies. I sat next to two women whose brains were not, let's say, mature enough, to handle the movie. They giggled at some of the most crucial moments, mistaking metaphor for actuality. The director doesn't really want the audience to believe Nina's literally becoming a swan. It's figurative. You have to be on somewhat of a higher plane to get it. But if you do get, man, it is one trip you do not want to miss.

See this film. The music is stunning. The costumes are worth the cost of admission alone and Portman's performance, let alone those of the other cast members, will leave you astounded.

Oh, and, Black Swan has the hottest girl on girl non-porn sex scene ever. Ever.  I only have one thing to say. Yes, please.

1 comment:

  1. Hi, Jenny, enjoyed meeting you at the Black Swan showing. I agree with you about the disturbing images. And about the maturity level of the audience. I could only give it 3 stars. It was an averaging of 4 stars for a super style and 2 stars for content. As a therapist, it was all just too disturbingly psychopathegenic.
    Cedric Wood, Ph.D.

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