Wow.
What a performance!
An epic film that should require a dose of Dramamine before it begins...
Darren Aronofsky did a fabulous job telling, and vividly showing, the ballet
Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky). Aronofsky is also noted for
The Wrestler and
Requiem for a Dream (one stand-out flick in my opinion). Black Swan is filmed and told in similar fashion - drugged out, and swirling with artistry. In an age of SAW and Hostel-esque movies, I am surprised people still squirm. Yet he was able to get the entire (sold-out) audience squirming and uneasy by the simplest act of Natalie's character clipping her fingernails.
Natalie Portman was beyond good. At no point did I doubt she was truly the Swan Queen, actually performing the ballet, consumed by her art and search for perfection.
This has been the first movie I've seen in a long while that left this long-lasting, art-filled, impression on me.
If you haven't seen it yet, go!
Peace,
Ross
