I watched Black Swan, when it was first released in the theater. I liked the passion, the psychological twists and the dark story. But, it took a re-watching to love this movie.
The title of this post is the crux of the movie. No one stands in the way of achieving your dreams except you. Yet, most of us are inhibited by our own psychological barriers - in this case - a controlling mother, a protected childhood and a sheltered life.The fears and apprehensions of our beliefs ultimately make or break the dreams of our life.
Nina(Natalie Portman), a ballerina, dreams of being the lead of the new ballet 'Swan Lake'. Swan Lake is the story of diametrically opposite sisters white and black swans representing the good and the evil. When the evil sister seizes the prince that the white swan falls in love with, the white swan commits suicide. Nina pitches herself for the role to her director, Thomas. Thomas rightly points that Nina can play the white swan perfectly - she is demure, shy and weak. But it takes someone to lose oneself to passion to portray the black swan. Thomas is proven wrong, when Nina shows a glimpse of the black swan when she bites him while kissing. Nina is now chosen as the swan queen.
Natalie Portman is excellent as a demure girl, who lives in a bedroom for little girls. She is inexperienced in sex and does not know how to react to her controlling mother. As her mother displays passive-aggressive control , Nina's hidden aggressiveness comes out. Sometimes frightened, at other times disturbed and angered, Natalie Portman totally deserves her Oscar for this role.
The movie is dark and the sudden twists and turns of Nina's mind-play, makes it a quasi-horror movie. You are not aware of where the reality begins and delusions interject. The best part is the way Lily enters Nina's life. Lily is the anti-thesis of Nina - carefree, bold and ambitious, she plays an essential part to bring out the dark side of Nina.Nina's hallucinations and psychological neurosis grow as she is threatened by Lily. This emotion finally liberates Nina out of her meekness.
Darren Aronofsky, a very artistic director, well known for 'Requiem for a dream' and 'Pi' , once again proves his distinctive and thought-provoking style. If you are in a mood for some artistic fare
this is suspenseful, thoroughly engrossing and artistic, this is the movie for you.
The title of this post is the crux of the movie. No one stands in the way of achieving your dreams except you. Yet, most of us are inhibited by our own psychological barriers - in this case - a controlling mother, a protected childhood and a sheltered life.The fears and apprehensions of our beliefs ultimately make or break the dreams of our life.
Nina(Natalie Portman), a ballerina, dreams of being the lead of the new ballet 'Swan Lake'. Swan Lake is the story of diametrically opposite sisters white and black swans representing the good and the evil. When the evil sister seizes the prince that the white swan falls in love with, the white swan commits suicide. Nina pitches herself for the role to her director, Thomas. Thomas rightly points that Nina can play the white swan perfectly - she is demure, shy and weak. But it takes someone to lose oneself to passion to portray the black swan. Thomas is proven wrong, when Nina shows a glimpse of the black swan when she bites him while kissing. Nina is now chosen as the swan queen.
Natalie Portman is excellent as a demure girl, who lives in a bedroom for little girls. She is inexperienced in sex and does not know how to react to her controlling mother. As her mother displays passive-aggressive control , Nina's hidden aggressiveness comes out. Sometimes frightened, at other times disturbed and angered, Natalie Portman totally deserves her Oscar for this role.
The movie is dark and the sudden twists and turns of Nina's mind-play, makes it a quasi-horror movie. You are not aware of where the reality begins and delusions interject. The best part is the way Lily enters Nina's life. Lily is the anti-thesis of Nina - carefree, bold and ambitious, she plays an essential part to bring out the dark side of Nina.Nina's hallucinations and psychological neurosis grow as she is threatened by Lily. This emotion finally liberates Nina out of her meekness.
Darren Aronofsky, a very artistic director, well known for 'Requiem for a dream' and 'Pi' , once again proves his distinctive and thought-provoking style. If you are in a mood for some artistic fare
this is suspenseful, thoroughly engrossing and artistic, this is the movie for you.
