{"id":9505,"date":"2010-10-22T23:28:59","date_gmt":"2010-10-22T22:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/?p=9505"},"modified":"2010-12-02T05:32:00","modified_gmt":"2010-12-02T05:32:00","slug":"lff-2010-black-swan-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/2010\/10\/22\/lff-2010-black-swan-review\/","title":{"rendered":"LFF 2010: Black Swan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Darren Aronofsky\u2019s portrait of an obsessive ballerina is wonderfully intense experience, powered by a standout performance from Natalie Portman.<\/p>\n

Set amongst a New York City ballet company producing Swan Lake<\/a>, it focuses on the psychological and physical tribulations of Nina (Portman), a dancer desperate to impress her demanding director (Vincent Cassel) and possessive mother (Barbara Hershey).<\/p>\n

After she wins the lead role we see Nina\u2019s ambition and drive turn into something much darker.<\/p>\n

She begins to have suspicions about her predecessor (Winona Ryder), a fellow dancer (Mila Kunis) and herself as she becomes burdened with all kinds of psychological and physical problems.<\/p>\n

Incorporating a variety of influences that include The Red Shoes<\/a>, Repulsion<\/a> and David Cronenberg<\/a>, it also riffs heavily on the raw source material of Swan Lake itself.<\/p>\n

Tchaikovsky\u2019s original work is given a modern day twist, as the trials of a young princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer get unsettling and often surprising parallels.<\/p>\n

At one point Cassel\u2019s director says of his staging of Swan Lake:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been done to death, I know, but not like this. We\u2019re going to strip it down and make it visceral and real\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This might also be Aronofsky talking, as that is exactly what he does with Black Swan.<\/p>\n

Clint Mansell’s score also emphasises this, expanding on Tchaikovsky’s original compositions but taking it to a more sinister place, which, allied with some highly effective sound design, makes for an arresting audio backdrop.<\/p>\n

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n

Intriguing parallels with The Wrestler<\/a> abound: both examine the physical and mental costs of being a performer; show the pressures of ageing; feature a character\u2019s desire to connect; and climax with a grand flourish.<\/p>\n

Black Swan goes further in cranking up the tension and, along with a paranoid, unreliable narrator, there is an unusual amount of visual effects shots that depict the crumbling reality of Nina\u2019s world.<\/p>\n

Mirrors are a recurring motif throughout and shots in rehearsal rooms are designed so we don\u2019t see the reflected cameras; people and body parts morph in creepy ways; and a variety of subtle effects are used to make us question what we have just seen.<\/p>\n

Part of what gives the film such an exhilarating kick is Matthew Libatique<\/a>\u2019s handheld visuals, shot on grainy 16mm. Like in The Wrestler, his work has a fluid urgency which really pays off in the dance sequences and also the claustrophobic world of Nina\u2019s apartment.<\/p>\n

But the heart of Black Swan is Natalie Portman\u2019s captivating central performance. In what is easily the best part of her career, she conveys a believable kaleidoscope of emotions \u2013 including fear, aggression and pain – in a relentless push for artistic perfection.<\/p>\n

Performing well outside of her comfort zone as an actress, her work has a certain meta quality that reflects the journey of her character, although we can safely assume the actual film production wasn\u2019t as gruelling as the fictional ballet.<\/p>\n

In supporting roles, Vincent Cassell is brilliantly arrogant as the manipulative director; Mila Kunis is a charming foil; Barbara Hershey conveys a suffocating and vicarious ambition, and Winona Ryder has a small but juicy role as a fading star.<\/p>\n

Since establishing himself in the independent sphere with films such as Pi<\/a> (1998) and Requiem For A Dream<\/a> (2000), Aronofsky has carved out an impressive niche for himself with\u00a0thoughtfully crafted character portraits that have included mathematicians, drug dealers and wrestlers.<\/p>\n

Black Swan is probably his most daring film yet: the bold mix of genres, combined with a dark sensibility may put off some audiences, but is also a reminder of how rich and rewarding his work can be.<\/p>\n

Black Swan<\/strong> played at the London Film Festival today and screens on Sunday 24th and Monday 25th.<\/em><\/p>\n

> Black Swan at the LFF<\/a>
\n> Official site<\/a>
\n> Reviews from Venice and Toronto at MUBi<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Darren Aronofsky\u2019s portrait of an obsessive ballerina is wonderfully intense experience, powered by a standout performance from Natalie Portman.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,38],"tags":[1509,745,1542],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9505"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9505\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}