Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is an extremely dedicated ballerina in a highly touted dance company in New York City. Living at home with single mother Erica (Barbara Hershey), her main passion in life is her dancing career. The theater she is a part of is about to start their new season, and while getting ready for the first practice, the sultry “free spirited” dancer Lily (Mila Kunis) becomes the latest addition to the group. After a cold welcome by the other ballerinas, they begin their morning warm-up sessions in the studio. Enter director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) who tells his dancers that they will be opening their new set with his re-envisioning of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and that one of them will have to embody both Princess Odetta/The White Swan as well as Odile/The Black Swan. Nina’s initial tryout does not strike Leroy to suggest that she can play both parts. She returns the next day and meets with Leroy about the lead role. He tells her that while he has observed her stride towards perfection over the years, to dance the the Black Swan will take a sensual edge that he believes she does not possess and that “letting go” is the key to the part. An impromptu kiss puts her back on the spot and becomes a rather jarring experience for the young dancer. To her surprise, when the postings are put up, Nina has become Leroy’s first selection as the Swan Queen. But soon it becomes apparent that replacing Beth Macintyre (Winona Ryder) as the new prima ballerina in the company and stretching herself to become her new role may have been more than she bargained for. This is the platform for a downward spiral of a journey that descends a woman on her quest for perfection, which is such an obsession that her everyday life becomes a walking nightmare.
To put it plainly, this movie is great. But there is one step that should be taken to get the full appreciation out of this experience. The film is centrally focalized on the character of Nina and her twisted existence as she tries to become what is needed to fulfill her dreams. Being an athlete at one time, it was easy for me to sympathize with her position knowing how it feels to pour your heart and soul into something just for the chance to perform on the “big stage.” So it is very important to “jump on board” with her story right away. For some this may be a difficulty, but the film is worth seeing through the eyes of the central character. This film is definitely a suspense thriller in which sound plays a pivotal role. Movies are an audiovisual experience, and Swan does a great job with lulling you asleep until you realize you’re supplanted back into the terror. Most of the film is shot in a “hand held” style to give it a sort of “documentary” appeal and helps to further plunge the viewer into the narrative. The cinematography and art design is exquisite and keeps a constant visceral theme throughout (such as certain characters being surrounded by black or white at different times in different settings).
Moving to acting, this is the strongest attribute of the film (which is saying something considering the great production aspects). Portman is unbelievable and is able to effectively push the film from start to finish (there is not a scene in which she is not a part of). Her ability to portray an innocent that is slowly losing touch with reality along with showing the “wear and tear” from the everyday rigors of being a professional dancer is awesome and is a symbol for the complexity of the film as a whole. On the other side, Kunis plays a great counter character. Her work is able to keep the audience guessing as to what Lily’s true intentions are as they relate to Nina (does she really just want to be friends or is it all an effort of sabotage to take the top spot in the ballet?). The contrast of traits is also a strong part of her role as she encapsulates all of the “things” that Nina is not to the nth degree (sensual, spontaneous, “free”). The real surprise in the cast is Vincent Cassel, who displays the “cutthroat,” perfectionist director at a great level and demands attention in each of his scenes. And the pressure he places on Nina further add to her anxiety and despair. Some of the kudos for the awesome acting must be attributed to Aronofsky and his “filmmaker” mentality as he is able to pull a great amount of emotion out of his actors that goes along with his gritty, dark style (see Requiem for a Dream for the best example of this effect.) The presentation of the film is strong overall, and while I’m personally not crazy about the “grainy” picture quality that was chosen for this release, the DTS 5.1 surround sound is a gripping addition that I think makes the movie sound better than it did in the theater.
The component that puts this Blu-Ray set over the top is the Special Features which offers hours of insight into many different aspects of the film in great detail.
– Black Swan Metamorphosis is a behind the scenes featurette that is nearly and hour long and talks about the inspiration for the film, the way it was shot, and so on with comments from Darren Aronofsky, cinematographer Matty Libatique, producer Scott Franklin, editor Andy Weisblum, writer Mark Heyman, and more.
– “Ballet” details how dance encapsulates the narrative and story being told with Aronofsky, Portman, Cassel, and Kunis.
– “Production Design” features production designer Therese DePrez and how her ideas about Swan Lake translate into the film.
– “Costume Design” profiles Amy Westcott’s challenge in taking traditional ballet pieces and making them fit into Aronofsky’s vision
– “Profile: Natalie Portman” is the actress telling how she and Aronofsky had planned to do a ballet movie for quite sometime, her take on her character, and the challenge of becoming a dancer.
– “Profile: Darren Aronofsky” tells how the script for the film came together, visiting the overlooked domain of ballet in film, and how Swan is a companion piece to The Wrestler.
-“Conversation: Preparing for the Role” has the director interviewing Portman about aspects like her real dancing background and the dedication it took to be ready for the film.
– “Conversation: Dancing with the Camera” features the same format as Portman communicates how the dichotomy of performing with the camera offered a unique challenge.
– “Fox Movie Channel Presents:” is a series of short interviews that ask key individuals about their experience with the film including segments with: Portman, Cassel, Aronofsky, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder.
There is also a theatrical trailer.