Black Swan

Ballet as a Blood Sport

Directed by Darren Aronofsky; Written by Mark Heyman, Andre Heinz, and John L McLaughlin

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

‘Black Swan’ isn’t a film about ballet. This intense and in-your-face film tells a bizarre story of ambition and a descent into madness. It takes place during the preparations for a New York performance of “Swan Lake.”As the soloist Nina, Natalie Portman gives the performance of her life. You literally can't take your eyes off her because director Darren Aronofsky (“The Wrestler,” “Requiem for a Dream”) fills the screen with giant close ups of her face, her toes, her hands, her body.

Nina is a hard-working perfectionist selected by artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) to be both the white and black swans (Odette/Odile) in “Swan Lake.” She lives in a New York apartment with her overprotective mother (Barbara Hershey), a retired dancer who hovers over her, tucking Nina into bed each night after turning on a bedside music box with a ballerina on top.

You quickly learn all is not well with Nina when she starts to rip long strips of skin, first from her cuticles, then from her fingers. Or does she? The story is told from Nina's viewpoint, and Nina’s hold on reality is anything but secure. There are scenes of self mutilation, lesbian sex, drug overdoses, the word “whore” being written in lipstick on a bathroom mirror, toes being fused together, and so on. But it is left for you, the viewer, to figure out what is real and what is not.

Nina has a rival. Lily (Mila Kunis) is more spontaneous, more easy going than she. Nina is convinced that Lily is trying to steal her role in the ballet. Lily has tattoos of swan wings covering her back. At least that is what Nina sees. Lily is actually kind and encouraging,, but Nina's paranoia makes her see Lily as someone who wants to destroy her. She is panicked that Lily will replace her. And she acts accordingly.

Director Aronofsky clearly understands the behind-the-scenes preparations for the ballet, from controlled scenes of the company in rehearsal to its ravishing final performances. The obsessive perfectionism, rivalries, anorexia, and the brutal physical demands made on young bodies are the context of “Black Swan.” A hand-held camera zooms here and there, bobbing along with the dancers. You are in the middle of it all.

Natalie Portman gives a heroic performance. She did most dance sequences herself after months of exhausting five-hour-a-day practice sessions. Nina’s insecurities, her terrors, her hopefulness shape the features of her lovely face.

Vincent Cassel is perfect as the virile, pompous, domineering Artistic director. Barbara Hershey feels real as the smothering, but lovingly well-intentioned mother who is compelled to control her daughter. Mila Kunis does well as the light hearted and fun loving Lily. Winona Ryder performs her role as an ill-tempered demoted lead dancer with just the right amount of viciousness..

The film has an ominous aura throughout. Odd angles, darkened hallways, shadowy figures, shards of broken mirrors and trickles of blood keep the viewer on edge. Tchaikovsky’s score becomes more jarring as the story proceeds. To director Aronofsky ballet is every bit as savage as is the wrestling in his 2009 Oscar Nominated film “The Wrestler.”

“Black Swan” tells a totally gripping story about how a young woman’s quest for perfection unhinges her. And don’t forget Natalie Portman’s over- the- top performance. If you appreciate mind-blowing and bizarre entertainments, see “Black Swan.”  I promise you won’t be