Black Swan was one of the most compelling films of 2011. Starring Natalie Portman (who won the Academy Award for Best Actress), Mila Kunis (nominated for a Golden Globe) and Vincent Cassel, the thrilling motion picture takes you much farther into the twisted mind of Nina Sayers (Portman) in her pursuit to be the lead dancer in her ballet corporation’s production of Swan Lake.
The tale of the ballet Swan Lake is as follows: the pure and perfect White Swan (Odette) falls crazy about a prince, but makes a deal with a wizard who turns her into a swan. Her prince falls in love with the Black Swan (Odile, Odette’s malevolent twin who represents sensuality and sin), and Odette kills herself.
The flick follows Nina’s descent into craziness as she transforms from the White Swan, Princess Odette, to the Black Swan, Odile. Nina struggles between finding the balance between perfection and passion. Her ballet teacher Thomas Leroy (Cassel) makes an attempt to help her find the balance to be the ideal dancer in his production of Black Swan to save the dance company after he replaces Beth MacIntire (Winona Ryder) with Nina. He tempts her and pushes her over the edge. Kunis plays Lily, Nina’s dance rival, who channels more Odile than Odette and brings out the Black Swan in Nina.
The end of the film is predictable, but the whole unraveling of the plot makes you wish to see the film more often than once. It is hard to differentiate between the truth and what is happening in Nina’s mind. The sole person that knows what really is happening is her mother, who fears for Nina’s life as she descends into insanity. There are scenes of self-mutilation where Nina scratches or wounds herself, and she becomes more and more more self-mutilating to herself as she becomes more like the Black Swan. In the end the role of the Black Swan destroys Nina. The way in which the plot unravels is certainly something worth seeing.
Portman won many awards including a SAG Award, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award for her role. The film was also nominated for Best Motion Picture for many huge awards, and Darren Aronofsky also was nominated for Best Director. Aside from all of the critic praise, Black Swan is a wonderful picture that should definitely be seen. Portman trained for many years to get to be in dancer shape, as did Kunis. It was pleasant to see Kunis out of her normal role (as the free distraction circa Forgetting Sarah Marshall). The casting was great, and it complimented a great story with great direction.
Amy Turman writes movie reviews for Experts123.com.