Justin Peterson’s review published on Letterboxd:
Would you be willing to sacrifice a part of yourself in the pursuit for perfection?
"The truth is when I look at you all I see is the white swan. Yes you're beautiful, fearful, and fragile. Ideal casting. But the black swan? It's a hard fucking job to dance both ... I just want to be perfect ... Perfection is not just about control. It's also about letting go. Surprise yourself so you can surprise the audience. Transcendence! Very few have it in them."
When Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan came out I likely thought it was perfect, and although I can now see that it does get heavy-handed at times ... I still adore it! From the powerful use of Tchaikovsky's music, the transformation of Natalie Portman's character, Aronofsky's strong touches of personal horror and insanity, plus all the great ballet.
(Quick Hits) ... Spoilers:
- While I do get taken by the horrific illusions in the film, I wonder if it may have been more effective to hold back on some of them. For instance, it might have been more effective to see a gradual build-up instead of Nina being so innocent and scared for most of the time, and then suddenly becoming this crazy, paranoid, badass at the end. Plus having the supernatural elements intensify throughout
- What does build over the course of the story is her actual transformation into the black swan in her mind. This does get a bit much when her legs transform, but her dance as the black swan with her arms becoming wings was fantastic. Plus it was a great choice to ground the rash on her back in reality, by having it be as a result of a nervous itch she has
- I think the difference of actually showing a physical transformation instead of it just being a psychological thing, is what made Black Swan so appealing for general audiences at the time
- At its core thematically, Black Swan does need to be sexually aggressive, since the lead character Nina is trying to shed being this perfect young dancer that still lives at home with her imposing mother, and stuffed animals .... in able to embody this idea of a mature, dark, and aggressive black swan Ballerina
- I am just curious what the movie would have been like from a filmmaker with a lighter touch when it comes to scenes of intimacy and sexual harassment. Although not having those parts would cap how effective Vincent Cassel and Mila Kunis' characters are at intimidating Nina
- I loved getting so much time with Portman as this obsessive loaner dancer in the company, but I would have liked to see more of her rivalry with Ksenia Solo's character as well
- Having Winona Ryder as the jealous senior dancer who is being pushed out of her role in the company was brilliant casting, when it comes to thinking about all those gothic movies she was in to start her career
- So when exactly did Nina stab herself???? Ahh who cares
"Nina, what did you do? ... I felt it. Perfect. It was perfect."
While I do have this curiosity about the film being too aggressive, I still really appreciate how Aronofsky does not pull any punches and just goes for it. I think 'Black Swan' is his best film, and I am curious to revisit 'The Wrestler' and see if 'The Fountain' is as weird as I remember.
Thanks for reading!
Happy movie watching ... Cheers!
