"Black Swan" Review

Black Swan: A

After countless views of the trailer for Darren Aronofsky's psychological doppelganger thriller "Black Swan," it's easy to think of this movie as a lustful thriller accompanied by a beautiful performance by the Natalie Portman (which, by the way, she trained and worked her ass off for to look like a real ballerina). All this is completely true, but all must be warned that it actually gets kind of gory. Had I watched this movie alone I probably wouldn't have noticed, but with a theater full of gasping, moaning and overall freaking out people, I can conclude that it might gross you out at times.

But isn't Darren Aronofsky great at that? He made a masterpiece out of "The Wrestler" using the same first-person pain-inducing techniques. With his handheld camera, ascending orchestra, brutal close-ups and swift motions, Aronofsky catapults you into the unraveling mind of Nina Sayers (Portman), a dedicated, shy, twentysomething ballet dancer who still lives with her mother, sleeps with dozens of stuffed animals and falls asleep to the sounds of a music box. You feel it every time she tears a piece of skin, suffers a hangnail, and endures whatever other bloody laceration or frightening encounter that may or may not have actually happened.

Nina starts out normal enough, but once she's made prima ballerina of "Swan Lake," she becomes obsessed with perfection, as she must be able to play both the white swan and the seductive black swan. She perfectly encapsulates the demurity of the white swan, but she cannot relinquish control enough to convincingly play the black swan. Newcomer Lily (Mila Kunis, with whom I now desire to enter into a relationship) is the epitome of the bewitching black swan, and is made her alternate by artistic director of the Ballet Company, Thomas (seductively played by the dashing, delicious Vincent Cassel that France has the pleasure of seeing as a leading man rather than the constant villain that America is exposed to).

Nina's intimidation of Lily and fear of being cast aside as former Swan Queen Beth (Winona Ryder) was drives her insane as she slowly sheds her innocent image and unleashes a darker side that sees her fighting her rival, her mother (Barbara Hershey channeling Piper Laurie in "Carrie") and herself.

The movie can be interpreted as not only the struggle for greatness in one's art, but also a narrative on the brutal nature with which Hollywood starlets are easily replaced with the next best thing and cast aside. Possibly one of the most carefully casted movies, it seems these roles were written for Portman and Ryder, the hard-working good-girl and the aging superstar who has had her time, respectively.

"Swan" may leave some wanting more, but the beauty of creating a masterpiece that speaks for itself is never having to explain anything. There are hints to Nina's self-destructive past and the ending will absolutely leave you wondering, but there couldn't have been a better way to end such a movie. Yes, it's a bit ridiculous at times, but approached from an artistic standpoint, it's a delightful, if not tragic, production and a sure Oscar contender.

(By the way, I'm not a professional critic by any means.)