REVIEW - Black Swan

Ho, boy. Nothing can properly prepare you for one of the most bizarre experiences you will every have in the cinema. But here goes.

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Nina (Natalie Portman) has been given her big chance at long last: she has been cast to play the Swan Queen in a new production of "Swan Lake". But already pressure is building: her mother (Barbara Hershey) is trying to control her, a new dancer (Mila Kunis) could be trying to steal her role, and her director (Vincent Cassel) doesn't believe the darker side of her role, the Black Swan to her White...

Black Swan is ridiculous, insane and brilliant. It is a return to form for director Darren Aronofsky, echoing his epic The Fountain; it is a stunning blend of art, psychology and classic film genres, all of which add up to a uniquely stunning film.

That being said, it starts off slowly - very slowly. The titles echoing the most obvious reference, The Red Shoes, before we start to explore the story of Nina. But this gradual build up works eventually; the tension rises and rises, picking up pace as the film progresses, until the last 45 minutes when, literally, all hell breaks loose, and you are at a loss as to what you are watching is really happening or not.

Natalie Portman is amazing - never away from the camera, her character and the breakdown she suffers captivates the storyline and holds you tight in its grasp. Her performance will surely go down as one of the greatest of her career, defining her as an actress of her own rights, removing her from your memory of her in the sad, wooden Star Wars prequels. It is often incredibly difficult to tell whether or not it is her dancing or a body double.

The ballet scenes are shot wonderfully; though this is certainly a film that is not just about ballet, it still plays a pivotal role, aided by the brilliant, memorable soundtrack of Tchaikovsky's work, and adding real depth to the story and to the characters, as they echo the core themes of the ballet itself: desire, deception, death.

The film is not perfect, sadly; the script is most certainly full of clichés, resembling a high-budget erotic thriller at times more linked with something like Basic Instinct. Cassell's character in particular is a tried and tested formula of the teacher who lusts after his own students. There is a nice cameo appearance from Winona Ryder as a faded star, and one feels that more could have been made out of her character. Kunis is almost in danger of becoming a very 2D bad girl, but the script saves her as it sweeps the rug from under the audience's feet in a bizarre set of twists.

There are jumps a plenty, a few quite bloody scenes and, of course, the much talked about lesbian scene, which really isn't at all what it says it is on the tin. Be warned - this is not just a film about ballet. Ultimately, this is a film about obsession and madness, a companion piece to Aronofsky's last work, The Wrestler - where that was about a tried old man, this is about a scared young girl.

Utterly compelling once it gets properly started, this film will, like all of Aronofsky's work, divide everyone who goes to see it. Brilliant.

8/10