Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Black Swan

My friend Judy and I went to see The Black Swan the other night. I'm STILL not sure what I think of the movie, even after thinking about it for a day. The link takes you to the Rotten Tomatoes website, where the critics give it an 87% freshness rating, and the audience gives it 90%. Scenes from the movie keep coming back to me, especially when Natalie Portman is playing the Black Swan. Nina (Portman's character) is cast in a ballet production where she is expected to play the virginal and pristine White Swan and then morph into the sensual and sexy Black Swan.

The movie was really confusing, since you are seeing almost all the scenes from the point of view of Nina, who is going quietly mad in her quest to perform both parts perfectly. Several scenes that you think are real end up being hallucinations, and the director, Darren Aronofsky, doesn't help you separate the real from the imagined. In fact, by the end of the movie, I am not at all sure what actually happened, other than that she gave a performance that riveted the audience. I found this excerpt from a review by Chuck Koplinski (he reviews three movies; the second one is Black Swan):
I’m not sure all of the narrative pieces fit together, but that’s Aronofsky’s point. An examination of one’s descent into madness is only effective if we are put into the shoes of the afflicted, and the film does just that. Thanks to the filmmaker’s audacity and a fearless performance from Portman, Black Swan proves to be a gripping, shocking and haunting look at the fragility of the human mind and how defenseless we all can become to our fears and insecurities.
It's not a movie for the faint of heart, but I am glad I saw it. I cannot put Portman's Black Swan out of my mind and keep seeing her face, thinking that if anybody ever deserved an Oscar for a performance, it's Natalie Portman for this one. It was breathtaking.

17 comments:

  1. i so want to see this...and i dont mind them confusing...lol

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  2. I guess the portryal of mad mind is successful if a viewer feels the confusion.

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  3. I am looking forward to getting Netflix in several months. I will add this to our list. Sounds most interesting.

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  4. I'm glad to hear your take on it...I wasn't all that interested in seeing this film until your review...you've piqued my interest.

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  5. I thought Natalie Portman was amazing. But overall, the movie was a portrayal of madness, she was a dancer (artist), obsessed (artist, dancer) and after awhile, it got tedious. But I did love the transformation stuff about the black swan.

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  6. David saw it last weekend and found it riveting. He said it is a psychological thriller. Not my cup of tea so I did not see it.

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  7. so glad to hear that! I think that Portman has deserved an oscar several times now so hope she gets it! I don't know when this movie hits my neck of the woods, but I plan on seeing it if I can!

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  8. I want to see Black Swan but haven't had a chance yet. It sounds like an excellent psychological thriller which is the kind of movie I love. Thanks for the review DJan.

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  9. Sounds intriguing. I really enjoyed 'A Beautiful Mind'. Maybe it's a bit like that one?
    Blessings, Star

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  10. I will want to see it, just because it will be nominated, and I like to keep up with my cultural literacy.

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  11. Thanks for the review. I found it quite interesting. I am intrigued by the film, but I am sure I will skip it. My mind is not ready for this kind of trip at this point.

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  12. I thought Natalie was fantastic, I really didn't like the film though...Hugs

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  13. Doesn't sound like a movie for us. Long ago we made a pact not to go to any movies that didn't make us feel better when we left than when we arrived. If it's a downer, we avoid it.

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  14. I just heard about this movie a few hours ago! Sounds like I would like to see it but probably wouldn't understand it until I saw it 2 times.

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  15. Hahaha! This is just one of those movies that I have no desire to see. I have no doubt the actors are amazing, the direction is artistic, and the writing is note worthy, but there is just something about it which immediately raised the "Nope, not interested" flag in my brain. I'd much rather see "Gulliver's Travels."

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  16. I am fascinated by this movie, but hesitant to see it. I love ballet and I know the reality is way more ugly than what an audience sees. But the madness aspect isn't alll that appealing, esp. in the middle of winter when lack of sunlight causes madness of its own. :-)

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  17. Thank you for this review. I was thinking of going to see it but I think I will take a pass. I'm so wanting to see happy movies right now. There is too much madness going on.

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