A Broken Beauty

To begin with, I wasn't keen on watching this film, it seemed silly, a dancer taking on the role as the Swan Queen who is mentally unstable and believes that she turns into the swan itself. Yet on watching Black Swan, you can see the thought process, how a great ballerina is desperate to be perfect, so throws herself so much into the role she messes with her head and turns into the dreaded black swan. I couldn't imagine anyone more perfectly cast than Natalie Portman for Nina. She gives her all to this role, from the weak and innocent White Swan to the dangerously sexy Black Swan. I have always though that Portman is one of the most talented actresses of our generation, her performance in Closer was inspirational and I didn't think it was possible to top such a role, but she has.
Black Swan mixes the innocence of ballet with the darkness of the psychology behind a performance. Portman's character, Nina, self harms unknowingly in her sleep, scratching her back until it bleeds as well as imagining her fingers bleeding (this scene was particularly gruesome especially when she pulled back the skin of the middle finger, back to the knuckle!) There were other, in my opinion, un-necessary scenes such as the lesbian love scene between Portman and her understudy Lily (Mila Kunis) as well as the hospital scene between Portman and Beth (Wionna Ryder.) However these un-necessary can be seen as necessary as how can you put a limit on art, or someones perception of art. This film plays on the theme of perfection and how success is measured in different ways to different people. The desire to become perfect ruins an innocent dancer yet allows her to give the best performance of Swan Lake ever seen. Sometimes the craving for perfection breaks those who want it most, and those you let go usually achieve what is percieved as, perfection.
I think this film, is one in a million, a story or betrayal and a mother's desperation for her daughter to achieve all that she didn't. It is sad and emotional yet dark and disturbing at the same time. A major twist at the end of the film is phenomenal and puts this film firmly in the running for the Academy Awards, I hope Portman wins the Oscar, for this she undoubtedly deserves it.