Review of Black Swan (2010) by Micah F — 07 Apr 2013

Few modern movies still retain that ability to shock and awe in ways mere words cannot even begin to describe. Black Swan is one of those movies. In her Academy Award-winning role, Natalie Portman lights up the screen with her memorable performance as the fragile and vulnerable Nina Sayers, a girl with only one prospect in her much too simple life: become the perfect ballet dancer she has always longed to be.

The film flows much like a dance itself, closely following the same structure and narrative as the very ballet depicted in the story: Swan Lake. Tchaikovsky's music peppers the film's thrilling score as Nina begins to lose grip on reality in her desperate efforts to achieve perfection. All of the main characters from the play have real-life counterparts in Nina's personal life, and the fine line between fact and fiction begins to slowly distort and ultimately disappear entirely over the course of the film.

The real genius of Black Swan lies in director Darren Aronofsky's uncanny abilities to shoot the visuals in a style that reflects the subject matter so perfectly, and at a pace that lends itself to the script so harmoniously that you truly forget you are watching a mere movie and are swept away into the realm of true art. This is a visually abstract, emotionally pure thrill ride that left me floored. Black Swan is indeed one of the greatest works of cinema I have ever seen.