Black Swan: The Movie

Shrouded in white, her pale dress gleaming in the dark, a ballerina is seen dancing elegantly in a shadowy room. The atmosphere is dreamy but dark, emphasizing the pure white of the dancer. It's a scene performed to introduce the viewer to the hauntingly beautiful world of Nina Sayers, an obsessive ballerina determined to perfect her role of the black swan in the famous swan lake ballet. The 2010 psychological thriller movie Black Swan explores the themes of obsession, perfectionism and toxic love. It follows the main character Nina – played by the renowned actress Natalie Portman – on her journey to insanity as she struggles to maintain her teachers' high expectations for her starring role in the ballet.

It's a gripping, artful tale with more cinematography than dialogue, due to the psychological aspect of the story. We experience the events that occur solely through the perspective of Nina, an unreliable narrator, and are pushed to question incidents with the question: Was she in the wrong?

Although we don't actually see the perspectives of the other characters and only see their actions through Nina, they are still enjoyable and well developed. We see her rival, a fellow ballerina who embodies the persona of the black swan that Nina is trying to assimilate herself to; Her teacher, with his seduction in attempt to summon Nina's inner black swan; Her mother, the embodiment of failure in Nina's eyes; And Beth, the former swan that holds Nina's fascination in her hands, but hostility makes her unreachable.

To add on, the movie's cinematography should be heavily praised. There are multiple scenes where the camera work emphasizes Nina's desperation while dancing, or follows her moves gracefully, or catches on to her mistakes and expressions to show her thoughts and emotions. That, with the addition of the choice of music, succeeds in creating a beautiful but ominous atmosphere that correlates with the concept of the story.

Overall, this movie is a masterpiece through and through. Its display of dark themes and critique of aestheticism creates an uncomfortable but captivating atmosphere. If the tragic side of perfection is of interest to you, I would definitely recommend this movie.

Movie rating: 5/5

Review by Arob Altower