Black Swan

My heart felt as if drifted to my toes, beating loudly. My palms sweaty. My body shivering and achy as if I ran 5miles- as I walked out of the cinema after 2 intense hours of Natalie Portman and the Black Swan.

This film is perfect.
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, a visionary, and thumping the throne of eerie psychological thrillers. He was born 1969 in Brooklyn, NY, and studied film and animation at Harvard university. His graduation thesis film “Supermarket Sweep” starring Sean Gullette, became a National Student Academy Award finalist. From such start, Aronofsky has grown his repertoire of film success accordingly.
He scripted and directed “Pi” in 1998, followed by “Requiem for A Dream” in 2000, “The Fountain”, 2006, and “The Wrestler”, starring Mickey Rourke, 2008.
The dynamic from The Wrestler, to, 2010′s Black Swan, is a gender swap opposition – companion film that shares a similar passion and commitment toward a talent. In this case; Mickey Rourke vs Natalie Portman.

Black Swan is a ballet story of the famous ballet Swan Lake, that portrays the ill will of perfection, success and intense passion of a ballerina and her expression in that art form.

Nina is an innocent, frigid ballerina , driven by perfection to a point of self destruction.
This film is a portrayal of the dark heart of a rising ballerina.

Natalie Portman (Closer, Garden State, V for Vendetta) was given the potential to play the role of Nina back in 2000 when Aronofsky was originally given the script to possibly create and direct this film. However, in 2000 Natalie was quite young and innocent, inexperienced, thus no one was confident in her ability to transform into the role of Nina and take on the intensity of a character deformation Black Swan required in order for it to be a successful film.
A few years back she was accessed for the part once again, and she began preparing so intensely as if living the life of her character. She practiced ballet a full year before starting shoot. It has been mentioned that her dedication to this film has caused for 90% of the ballet moves to be her own. However the main choreography through out the film is by Benjamin MillePied.

Portman, who has danced but is no ballerina, does a more than credible job in the big dance numbers and the tough rehearsals that are so essential to the film. In her acting, too, you sense she has bravely ventured out of her comfort zone to play a character slowly losing sight of herself. It’s a bravura performance.- The Hollywood Reporter

Her acting in this film is impeccable.
She has reached a level of character development that is rarely seen in today’s actors.
She, indeed, was perfect.

The film is Raw in the way it presents ballet as an art form, and the high demands it entails in order to achieve greatness.
Along with the intensity, in the way that the film was shot and edited, gives the viewer the passion, the crazy, the wild mind conforming structure, as if the viewer is part of the film.

In terms of technique in post production- Aronofsky frequently uses what is known as the “hip-hop montage in editing. A sequence of action shots or images shown at fast motion, accompanied by high pitched sound-effects in an attempt to stimulate an action of mind thwarting, and/or the feeling of taking drugs.
This technique is frequented throughout the film, giving the feel of an almost schizophrenic personality disorder that the viewer embeds.
Aside from the choppy visuals, Aronofsky is trademarked to use string instrument and techno beat combination in his film soundtracks, thus pertaining on the idea, of eerie, horror, and psychological terror.

Swan is an instant guilty pleasure, a gorgeously shot, visually complex film whose badness is what’s so good about it. You might howl at the sheer audacity of mixing mental illness with the body-fatiguing, mind-numbing rigors of ballet, but its lurid imagery and a hellcat competition between two rival dancers is pretty irresistible. Certain to divide audiences, Swan won’t lack for controversy, but will any of this build an audience? -The Hollywood Reporter

It is true, the film is not for anyone… all those weak stomachs and headache prone digests prepare yourselves.