Day off Monday and the BF and I head off to the cinema to see the much celebrated 'Black Swan'. Monday afternoons spent in the cinema whilst it's blowing a gale outside is a surreal experience. Having only ever ventured to the cinema at night, spending a midweek afternoon sat in VIP leather seats and sharing the auditorium with only four other people is quite a decadent way of spending a day off. Black Swan and it's subject matter of ballerinas wasn't particularly my film of choice but I sided on the recommendation of a friend. After the first 5 minutes, I began to question my choice, not to mention wiping up the blood gushing from my perforated eardrums. My goodness, the intro music is so loud it makes your hair stand on end.
The story concentrates on the character Nina who's a prima ballerina who takes the lead role in Swan Lake under the tutelage of a creepy Frenchman. Natalie Portman plays the lead role and I wouldn't be surprised if her stunning performance wins her the Best Actress Oscar. The film is at times absorbing, disturbing and very, very dark. She plays a fragile character who strives for perfection in landing the complex role of white and black swan. It spirals into a dark psychological thriller which delves deep into Portman's character's sexuality, self-harm, psychosis and total mental meltdown as she strives for the perfection in claiming her dream part. There are some very racy scenes which had us both squirming and shifting uncomfortably in our seats at times, but stick with it as it's a really great film. Odd at times, Black Swan is a powerfully potent psychological drama that will make you uneasy. And at the end, it assaults all your senses rather like being slapped round the face with a wet haddock. Also worth a mention are the supporting roles from Barbara Hershey (playing Nina's deranged mother) and Winona Ryder.
You've been warned - Billy Elliott it isn't!
No comments:
Post a Comment