Movie review: Black Swan

Mar 15 • Movies, Reviews • 360 Views • 1 Comment

“I felt it. Perfect.”

Darren Aronofsky has always had a reputation of making really good films like Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler. He has now managed to add another feather to his cap with Black Swan, arguably his best film till date.

Black Swan charts Nina Sayers’ (played by Natalie Portman) journey from being a young dancer with the New York City Ballad to playing the lead in the company’s upcoming production, Swan Lake. During the course of this evolution, she loses her mind, which starts affecting her physical health as well. The director criticizes her work and asks her to become imperfect and lose herself in her dance. Despite all of the pressure, she is still determined to play the role at any cost.

Brilliant acting, direction, cinematography and editing leave very little space for criticism in the movie. Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” just adds that much excellence to this wonderful piece of work, and even though the music was played around with quite a bit, it still failed to be nominated for Best Original Score for the Academy Awards.

One finds a connection of sorts between Black Swan and Aranofsky’s previous film, The Wrestler, as both have the use of very few colours and have been shot in a grainy fashion. This is not surprising, as Aranofsky has previously stated that he is amazed by the similarity between wrestlers and ballerinas.

Black Swan received 5 Oscar nominations at the 83^rd Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Natalie Portman won the Best Actress award for the performance of a lifetime. However, Mila Kunis would probably feel that she has been left out, despite an equally brilliant performance as Lily or the Black Swan. The film has also won 54 other awards including a Golden Globe and a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) award, apart from several more nominations.

The movie has already grossed more than 250 million USD since its release and I’d say that each and every single dollar has been very well earned.  This is a movie worth well more than a single watch. If you haven’t seen the film yet, I’d suggest you head towards the theatres NOW.

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About the Author: Rajdip Ray

Rajdip Ray is a lawyer in the making and is someone you wouldn’t want to get into an argument with. He loves black and is quite synonymous with the color itself. He displays a strange affection for chicks from the DU who are way out of his league. A huge follower of Barney Stinson from HIMYM, he tries to woo them with magic tricks. However, unlike Barney, never gets lucky and knows no magic. Also rated as the most controversial person to be friends with by most of his friends.

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