The Black Swan

Let's start this review with a statement: Black Swan is not a dancing film. Much in the same way that Aronofsky's 'The Wrestler' wasn't about the amateur wrestling scene, Black Swan is about obsession, blood, sweat, tears and a near pathological dedication to the sometimes unhealthy pursuit of perfection. It's a psychological thriller in which Natalie Portman plays Nina - a young woman long repressed by her mother and living in fear of her own dreams. Nina dances for a famous New York City ballet company and is selected against her expectations to play the lead part in their new adaptation of the classic Swan Lake - the role of a lifetime.

Nina is required to play the parts of both the black and the white swan. The ballet company's creative director Thomas (Vincent Cassel) tells her that her perfect form and attention to detail make her the ideal white swan, however her black swan lacks the danger, swagger and seductiveness that the part requires. Try as she might she is unable to perfect the moves that will bring the black swan to life. Perhaps there's something deep inside her, something hidden and repressed keeping her from exploring her darker side. She looks to flamboyant and sensual co-dancer Lily (Mila Kunis) to find the darkness she craves - but what Pandora's Box will she open by finding it?

Against this setting we have a superbly-pitched psychological horror / thriller in which Nina wrestles with her own conscious, slowly loosing her mind as she tries to escape her mother's clutches to find her hidden dark side - a dark side she has to embrace to become the black swan. The film's main theme is the idea that striving for perfection demands not only dedication, but obsession bordering on psychosis - for anything less means you didn't try hard enough. Nina becomes embroiled in her own obsession with becoming both sides of the swan, as she strives towards her own vision of perfection she isolates herself from friends, people, the world and eventually her own sanity.

It's a stunning performance from Natalie Portman. The camera is relentlessly in her face, never giving the audience time away from the physical pain, paranoia and fear her character exudes. God knows how much effort she had to go through to learn the ballet moves required of her. The film even serves as an allegory for the actress demanding perfection from herself in the role. There are several single-shot takes of Portman's dancing, there's nowhere for her to hide and no chance for a stunt double to come in - if no-one gives her an award then there's no justice. Aronofsky has outdone himself with the way 'Black Swan' looks. Claustrophobic from start to finish, the world of the film is eerily pure (lots of pure white and pure black colours going on) and unrelenting in picking Nina's life apart as she surges stutteringly towards her artistic finale. So typical of Aranofsky's films to look amazing while showing you a character's world falling apart.

Some might say the story is unoriginal and pretentious, others might point to the stereotypical characterisation of Nina and Thomas. With execution this good though I'm happy to put any of these doubts to one side. It's terrifying and beautiful at the same time, and the more I think about this the better I think it was. Black Swan has gone straight to the top of my preliminary 'film of the year' chart.