The theme in the Information Store for the last couple of
weeks has been around looking great and feeling great, so the DVD review for
this week is Black Swan a
psychological thriller/horror addressing the themes of deteriorating mental and
physical health. Directed by Darren
Aranofsky and starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, this film will be sure
to raise even the most reluctant hairs on the back of your neck.
Nina (Portman) is a professional ballet dancer who is
desperate to be cast as the White Swan in her dance group’s latest production
of Swan Lake. She is the perfect ballerina. She’s disciplined, elegant, pure
and beautiful and encompasses everything the White Swan represents. Her problem
is portraying the White Swan’s darker counterpart – the Black Swan. Her innocence and purity makes it impossible
for her to unlock her inner darkness so she can ‘become’ the Black Swan. She
lives and breathes ballet and the production’s director, Thomas (Vincent
Cassell), refuses to give her the role of the Swan if she cannot become the
White and Black Swan equally. Lily (Kunis) is a new ballerina and she is
everything Nina is not. She is dark, edgy and dangerous as well as an outstanding
ballerina and her jealousy and rivalry becomes more intensified as she loses
grip on reality and slips into the darkness she so desperately desires.
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| Natalie Portman as Nina |
As well as having a captivating story, Black Swan uses various thematic devices to evoke fear in the
audience, Aranofsky’s use of mirrors is especially interesting as he uses this
to portray the war Nina is having with her own personality. Her body and mind starts dissolving and
descending into madness as obsession and desire overtakes everything else. As
she welcomes the darkness into her life, it quickly takes hold of her soul,
wrapping her in the blackened wings of the swan she is so desperate to become.
The music, choreography and skill of the performance itself
is breath taking and will have you firmly glued to your seat, it’s as intense
as it is terrifying and the performances from Portman, Kunis and Cassell
exceeds the brilliance of the direction.
Not for the faint hearted but perfect for those who fancy
something a bit different and a bit challenging.
Black Swan is
shelved in the DVD ZONE at 791.43 B
