Black Swan

Darren Aronofsky is no stranger to the Academy Awards. Last year, his gritty adaptation of a man past his prime as a wrestler attracted Oscar nods for Mickey Rourke as well as Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler. Rourke was given a role that was seemingly created just for him, and he nailed it. The Wrestler was a triumph of redemption and self-recognition. But Black Swan seems to tell the story before it all fell apart. It shows the downfall, not the climb back to the top.

Aronofsky begins the film with Nina, played by Natalie Portman, an extremely talented, but aging ballerina facing her last chance to prove her full potential. Nina's ballet company is headed by the handsome and extremely knowledgeable Thomas, played by Vincent Cassel. As the company is warming up, Thomas walks in, explaining that the first show of the season will be the overdone Swan Lake, but with a whole new twist, and he is looking for the girl to play both the white and black swan. At the same time, Lily (Mila Kunis) enters, and Thomas introduces her, explaining she is in from San Francisco and will be a replacement.

Immediately, a tension can be felt between Nina and Lily. Lily is carefree, she has black wings tattooed on her back and seems to get along with everyone, while Nina sits in the back and keeps to herself. The relationship that buds between Nina and Lily forms quickly and implodes with disdain, sexual impulses, and the joint desire to play the swan queen.

As I try to think of memorable quotes and dialogues, I realize there never was more than the occasional conversation and quick banter between ballerinas. Aronofsky had the intent to make Black Swan heavy on the visuals, and he succeeded. Every turn of the head, every fouetté, and every creak in the wood is closely watched by the camera. We can see the vigor in Nina's eyes as she pushes herself to make every spin perfect, yearning for Thomas' approval. We feel her pain when her big toe's nail breaks and she sits on the floor nursing it. This is what I expected from Aronofsky.

My favorite film of his, and quite possibly one of my favorite films of all time, is Requiem for a Dream. It tells the intertwining stories of four people all affected by drugs in different ways. Every time heroin was sent into their system, the camera would change to their eyeballs, scrutinizing the dilation of their pupils, and the sound of their breathing would shorten and deepen. The viewer felt almost as though he were also taking the heroin too. Aronofsky certainly has found his niche.

Black Swan is a story of not only beautiful decay, but what dedication and obsession can do to a person when they are forced to "let go" and let their primal instincts take control. Nina is meek and and a pushover at the beginning, but as the film progresses, we see the beast that lies inside her, pushing her to become the best dancer. Was it her overbearing mom, played by Barbara Hershey, that pushed her over the edge? Or possibly it was Thomas, her perfectionist teacher; or maybe it was Lily, with her natural grace and talent causing jealousy.

When we think of the world of ballet, we picture perfect girls, effortlessly gracing the stage with beautiful music. But Aronofsky takes cameras behind the scenes, where backstabbing and trash-talking are just another thing to put up with. We see the sweat, the constant desire to keep a perfect shape, and the even more constant fear of making one wrong move, ultimately ending one's career.

Black Swan could be categorized under Thriller or Mystery, and either way it would satisfy people looking for either movie. Portman's performance screams Oscars and so does the cinematography; and there is a possibility Kunis could get a supporting actress nod. Darren Aronofosky is a perfectionist and his films speak for themselves. I don't expect him or this movie to leave the Academy Awards empty-handed this year.

In the words on Nina, "I was perfect."

A+