Does Darren Aronofksy’s Black Swan live up to the buzz it’s been getting?
And is the Oscar really Natalie Portman’s to lose?
Ill come right out and say it,Black Swanis a masterpiece.
Its a masterpiece of obsession and what that obsession ultimately does to a person.
I imagine most people are aware of the premise behindBlack Swan.
Black Swanis an intense experience, and one which stays with you long afterwards.
Here he showcases this again, but with paradoxically subtler and broader brushstrokes.
How far will someone go to achieve their ambitions?
How can you create a new star?
Black Swans reality responds to her state of mind.
The viewer is forced to experience what is real for her, as if it were real for us.
At no time did I think I was watching Portman act her way through a scene.
She instead breathes Nina with every fibre of her being.
The physical pain she puts herself through in pursuit of perfection is incredibly viscera.
However, every character is after their personal grail, not just Nina.
Erica and Beth have a similar role and similar obsessions, like much of this film.
They can be seen to represent two sides of the same coin.
They are the voice of supposed experience, and show a corrupted maternal nature.
Both women display an effective madness inherent in their characters.
Then there is Cassel.
The film craft exhibited by Aronofsky and his crew is also exquisite and integral to the action.
Rating:
5 out of 5
