Film Review: Black Swan (2010, USA)

The first time I watched Black Swan, which was about a year ago, I was left unmoved and dissatisfied. But over the course of a year, I've had time to reflect on what it is I witnessed on the screen. And then a few days ago I noticed it was on my mind. So I took the liberty of watching it again. And what happened, you ask? Well...I absolutely LOVED it.

I suppose it's safe to say that it took me one year to process the depth of this film. In my eyes, that means it's one hell of a moving art. When something sneaks up on me, or upsets me, or makes me think, even if I don't like it or initially like it, I feel it's done its job as a good film.

Not only do we have an amazing cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Winona Ryder (and more!), we also have the wonderful director Darren Aronofsky, who is responsible for those strangely dark and beautiful films Pi (1998) and Requeim for a Dream (2000) (which, if you haven't seen, are definitely worth your time).



So yes, Black Swan is about ballet, and yes, Black Swan shows a lot of Portman perfecting the art of it. But what I failed to see the first time around is that it's more than Portman's character struggling with her newfound role as lead dancer. It's more than the beauty of the art of ballet. It's deeper than that, and real, too, as so many of Aronofsky's films are. Black Swan digs deep, revealing our own personal struggle of allowing both the dark and light, the yin and yang, the good and bad of ourselves to be there, to unite. It's about our own internal struggles and the tendency to regulate our lives and experiences with unnecessary control...how it's often harder to just let go.

All of this in a movie about a revamped ballet. It's worth it to watch, even if it takes you a year to get.