Black Swan

Horror comes in many different shades. When I heard about Black Swan, I thought it just sounded like an average "sports drama" with a bit of a twist. Little did I know that it's a horror film through and through.  It wasn't marketed as such, but Black Swan has hallucinations, violence, an eerie score, and, of course, direction by Darren Aronofsky. If that's not a recipe for a horror film, I don't know what is.

The film is about a girl named Nina (played by Natalie Portman), who wants more than anything to be the star of an upcoming production of Swan Lake.  She practices and practices under the control of her overbearing mother.  Nina is shocked to learn that she got the lead, although the play director says he's convinced by her white swan performance, but she needs her to perfect the part of the black swan.  This starts Nina's journey to becoming perfect.

The film follows Nina's slow descent into madness as she gets every aspect of her performance just right. Very early on, Nina starts having bizarre hallucinations. She sees herself everywhere, and she also has violent visions.  One particularly gruesome scene shows Nina pulling skin off her finger, only to have the wound gone a moment later. These hallucinations become more and more like Nina's reality, and at the end of the film we literally see her turn her into the black swan.  A truly beautiful yet terrifying image. She also imagines a sexual encounter with Lily, a fellow dancer. This is very disturbing, because it shows her wanting to "relax" and yet, it was all just a twisted vision in Nina's broken mind. We instantly gain sympathy for Nina because she is so innocent. She's very childlike as she lives with her mother, and denies any sexual activity or drugs.  We want her to be okay by the end of this film, and we really feel her pain as she transforms for her role.

Black Swan is directed to perfection by Darren Aronofsky.  He used primarily 16mm cameras, which really makes the horror elements that much more gritty and scary. He also shoots everything very intimately, whether it's Nina at home or practicing in the dancing studio.  This allows Aronofsky to show us everything, and give us a feeling of no escape. We are with Nina on this journey whether we like it or not.  Also, his signature "following" shot (following the actor while he/she is walking) is here as well. Again, this is used to make us feel like we're right there with Nina throughout the whole film.  Mirrors are also used in nearly every shot in the film.  This gives an opportunity for stylized shots while obviously symbolizing the two-sided nature if Nina's character.

Finally, the acting is impeccable, and it makes the movie.  Natalie Portman won an Oscar for her performance, and she deserved it.  Her performance, is creepy, sad, and most importantly, devoted 100% to the insane script.  The supporting players also do an amazing job.  Mila Kunis as Lily is great as Nina's "friend" with a bit of a dark side.  Vincent Cassel (who I know from Irreversible) is outstanding as the director.  His methods are quite extreme, but in the end, fortunately or not, they work.  Finally, Barbara Hershey is terrific as Nina's mother. You can tell she's way over protective, but you also feel bad because she doesn't want her baby to grow up.

Black Swan is amazing.  If you're a horror fan with an open mind, I say definitely check this one out.  It's a twisted sort of coming-of-age film, with violence, bizarre imagery, and a handful of great performances. If you think it will be like Aronofsky's previous film The Wrestler, go watch Argento's Suspiria; that will give you a much better idea of what you're in for.