Emo Philips’s review published on Letterboxd:
I've only watched Black Swan once before when it was released, and wanted to revisit it because it's been in the back of my head for years as an intense thriller that I really enjoyed. And it still holds up!
Visually it is gorgeously shot, and I was quite impressed with the cinematography - the camera itself is dancing with Natalie, having to expertly weave between the dancers and deftly avoid the huge mirrors littered throughout the theater. Some of the CGI effects are a bit dated now, but the moments of Nina picking at her fingers still made me shudder with discomfort.
The performances are really strong, and while Portman is certainly the centerpiece driving the film, all of the supporting actors are really well-cast. Portman puts on a heartbreaking show, it's tragic how much she suffers in this and yearns for perfection. Cassel plays the manipulative director well, and I thought effectively walked the thin line between being a creep and earnestly pushing Nina to portray the Black Swan's allure. While Kunis was the character I thought I'd focus most on after Portman, Hershey as the controlling mother was the real standout for me; Aronofsky's direction and writing meshes so well with Hershey's intensity, it's scary and sad and sets the stage for Nina's unraveling. Even Ryder's role as the exiting prima ballerina is great, and stood out to me even more this time around.
I love how chaotic the last act is. It effectively captures Nina's increasingly rapid decent into madness, where even multiple viewings doesn't help untangle fact from fiction. If the swan CGI wasn't quite so silly now, it'd probably be 5-stars for me. One of Portman's best performances, for sure.
Now added to my list of Horror Films I Recommend.
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