In her obsession and striving for perfection, her sanity became the sacrificial lamb.
Darren Aronofsky retells the story of Swan Lake like it has never been seen before. With amazing, riveting stories under his belt such as Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, and The Wrestler; Aronofsky brings his emotional close ups and stylistic shots to capture the trials and tribulations of a tortured ballerina.
Natalie plays the role of Nina Sayers and leaps off the screen with brilliance as she floats like a butterfly across the stage metamorphosing from Caterpillar to Butterfly, from White Swan to Black Swan in a vivid picture of Swan Lake in only a way that Darren Aronofsky can paint it.
Nina's mom is a few sheep short of a herd which she displays in her unnatural obsession she has with her daughter such as brushing her hair, filing her nails, and inspecting her skin, not to mention her obsession with Nina's success as a dancer.
Babying her daughter would be an understatement, Nina would have to be at least 21 since there is an epic scene that depicts her raving in a New York club on ectacsy. However her room looks like it is that of an eight year old as it is dorned with stuffed animals and other childish things. Nina's mom is also an amateur painter however the only subject she seems to paint is Nina.
Aronovsky has a way to really bring her art to life.
Watching Natalie go from a delicate flower to a darker venus flytrap as she consumes herself is something spectacular to see. This film grabs a hold of you and doesn't let you go even when it ends.
I had the pleasure of watching it last Sunday with fellow CreCommer Dylan Hughes, we both found it to be a visceral experience and even as the credits rolled we sat still.
Unable to part ways without sharing our thoughts we went to the Pony Coral and discussed an intoxicating film over a cold one to intoxicate us.
Almost a week later I still can't get the film out of my mind, I am postive Natalie will be taking home the award for best actress, even though the whole cast really does a stellar job.
We are all humans burning with desires and wants and when we want something bad enough, the true dreamers and romantics of the world follow it to the very end like sheep to a shepherd.
Something has gotta give...and that something like Nina's sanity ends up being the sacrificial lamb.
This is just one point of view from me to ewe.
Blah Blah Blog Sheep. Out.
It was certainly a powerful, impulsive film, with as much visual evidence to absorb as there was a story.
ReplyDeleteBut why overlook over Portman's more self-intimate moments? I mean, the composition is clearly a highlight in Aronofsky's...already brilliant...repertoire...hell, who am I kidding. Portman is a dirty dream.
Chadd I didn't know you had two blogs! I will have to Follow this one. (love the sheep)
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I completely agree when you said the film grabs ahold of you and doesn't let go even after it ends. It took me like 10 min to articulate how I felt about Black Swan.
This movie was amazing and there wasn't one moment that I felt myself relax while watching it. The way I know how much I like a movie is whether I decide I can risk going to the washroom or not.- I didn't in this movie.
lt was powerful, not to mention exciting, though I can't decide whether I was disappointed or not that the hookup with Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis was just a dream.
I'll admit that the first time I watched this movie, I was irritated at how much crying and whining that Nina did. Maybe it was my mood that day or because I don't really like that quality in another person. But, the second time I went to this movie, I was blown away all over again (possibly even more) at how phenomenal the acting was and how riveted I was by the entire movie.
Love the blog, Chadd.