Black Swan (2010) Review - Dylan McCully

Written by Dylan McCully, 10/15/22

Dylan McCully's Cinema: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls521125877/

There's a lot to say about Aronofsky's 2010 classic - Black Swan. The incredible lengths it took actors to prepare for their roles makes this feel as realistically acted as The Wrestler. (Aside from the hallucinations). A great choice from Aronofsky was to shoot on 16mm instead of 35mm, increasing the grain for added realism. 16mm cameras are also lighter and allowed for the fluid camera movements.

The cinematography is so fluid, yet so precise during the opening scene, which is representative about the choreography and performances in this film, too. Fluid and precise. The story revolves around Nina Sayers, played by Natalie Portman, and her quest for perfection. Her and the other dancers try out for parts in the ballet Swan Lake. She sees the director in his office, where he makes advances towards her before she runs out. An aging dancer, played by Winona Ryder, is angry that she was kicked out and says that Nina slept with the director to get the role. Winona Ryder is then hit by a car and will never dance again. Lily, played by Mila Kunis, is a new dancer that Nina gets worried about. They hang out together and have a weird night together, or so it seems. There are a lot of psychological horror elements at play when Nina is convinced Lily is trying to replace her. What will happen the night of the big performance?

The problems with the film stem from Aronofsky's typically dumbed down screenplay. There is no subtlety in his symbolism, and it makes the audience feel like our intelligence is being insulted. Then it becomes an action movie near the end, while being psychologial beforehand. A lot of people would without hesitation consider this Aronofsky's best, but I would disagree. I connected with The Wrestler more and preferred the down to earth story, although Aronofsky himself considers Black Swan and companion piece to The Wrestler as they hold many similaraties. Despite Aronofsky's usual self-indulgence, Black Swan still uses imagery, score, and pretty much everything except the screenplay to the best of it's ability. 6.5/10

Aronofsky Ranking: 1. The Wrestler (2008) - 8/10 2. Requiem for a Dream (2000) - 7/10 3. Black Swan (2010) - 6.5/10 4. The Fountain (2006) - 5.5/10 5. Pi (1998) - 5.5/10