Movie Review: Black Swan

Date: 5 March 2011
Time: 11:50pm
Location: GV Plaza
Kaki: JoC
Rating: 4 stars
Language: English

Synopsis:
"Black Swan" follows the story of Nina (Portman), a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her retired ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) who zealously supports her daughter's professional ambition.

When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well.

Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.

Review:
Well, it was only a matter of time and you probably knew a review on some Oscar/Academy Award film was gonna make an apearance... Anyhow, it was an impromptu decision my JoC and I to watch the movie as we were attending a mutual friend's wedding. And to be expected, we were really not in the "frame" of mind to watch the movie.

So, the movie left me traumatized. Seriously, I was quite spooked by the movie, in the same way I get spooked by the "the prestige". I am horrified when the obsession with a certain something, be it ballet in this movie, or magic in the other, ends up consuming the sanity and humanity of the person.

Soo... that and many "shock factor" moments, you know... the kind where things sorta jump out at you, or limbs get chopped off... I am a person with an extremely vivid imagination (so is JoC as well), and I think we were the only two idiots who were gasping in horror and cringing in pain at certain moments. And at the end, feeling depressed at the sordid depths that a person's mind can sink to...

But at least, this movie as a clear theme. The downward spiral of an emotionally weak person, when thrust into a position with shoes too big to fill (Happens in real life too! Just look at all these emotional wrecked bosses with phobias about putting a foot wrong and being caught out) and who seeks out perfection...

Somehow, my takeaway from the movie is that sometimes, as a parent, you should not overly shelter your children, over-protective parenting results in overly-sheltered kids. I mean the character that Portman plays, is strong physically... god knows you have to be strong to be a ballet dancer... but she is weak emotionally. Her emotional anchor point lies with her mom who at the same time, is such a strong parent that as a lady with weaker character (the compliant child syndrome for any of you who have been exposed to the Transactional Analysis Framework)... the one who always gives in and says sorry, that it is an unbalanced relationship. The person with the weaker character ends up repressed and a passive aggressive. Which is why, when the "inner demons" are unleashed, her very sanity is threatened... to a certain extent, you can take it as a emotion overload and her Operating System crashed.

But you know what.. it warrants a 4 star from me as it is a movie that sucks you in.. leaving you wondering between what is real, and what is not. It is meant to be thought provoking for sure, but at the same time, it is rather slow... soo.. I had to minus a star for that. (Hey sue me cuz I am a action flick chick haha)...

Ok.. truth is.. there are many more theories / ideas that popped into my head.. but they were too many to list and I have to shower to go off and run some errands... HAHAHA... soo... watch this movie if you liked "The Prestige"... I label them as one and the same.