READERS' CHOICE #30: BLACK SWAN (2010)

THRILL SCALE 1-10

9

HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?

Yes, but only once in the theatre shortly after it came out

BEST SEQUENCE

It's impossible to forget the moment in Nina's bedroom when her eyes turn red, she plucks a black feather from her back and her legs suddenly bend backwards

BEST LINE

"I felt it. Perfect. It was perfect."

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE

85%

ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS

"Bracingly intense, passionate, and wildly melodramatic, Black Swan glides on Darren Aronofsky's bold direction -- and a bravura performance from Natalie Portman."

IMDB SYNOPSIS

"Nina is a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her artistic director and a seductive rival, Nina's grip on reality slips, plunging her into a waking nightmare."

DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky

MAIN CAST

Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder

THOUGHTS

• I was trying to figure out if we would classify Black Swan as a body horror movie, and while it seems that opinions may vary on that point, this movie gets such a high thrill score largely because I was squirming and cringing at many of the changes that we see happen to Nina's body throughout the film. From the extreme end of the spectrum like in what I considered the best sequence described above, to the slightly milder example of Nina peeling a hangnail all the way down her finger, this even goes for the moments that are very real and not imagined by Nina, like the cracked toenail that is just part of being a ballet dancer
• Speaking of which, I've never really been one for the ballet, and this movie certainly doesn't make it seem like a glamourous life, at least not for the most part, or at least not for Nina. When the movie was released there were real-life ballet dancers who took issue with Black Swan's depiction of their profession, and this article is a great read for that point of view, but the gloominess of Nina's day-to-day life certainly adds to the moodiness of the film, and adds to the feeling that Nina is being backed into a corner by this ballet and this role
• It's a fantastic performance by Portman, probably has to be my favourite of hers, and so far it's her only Oscar win
• Finally, I do like forming my own opinions and theories about films, but this is one of those movies that makes me want to immediately go and read other people's analyses - what really happened, and what was all in Nina's mind? For this reason it's also a movie that benefits from multiple viewings, so if you haven't seen it in a while, give it another watch!

Up next: A movie I haven't seen, and one that I know very little about, in fact. City of God from 2002