Rating:  

Protozoa Pictures, Phoenix Pictures, Cross Creek Pictures and Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Written by: Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, and John J. McLaughlin, from a story concept by Andres Heinz.

At some point in our lives we are inevitably told by someone we respect or trust that if you work hard enough for something, you can be anything you want to be. Perhaps others hear an amended version – give 100% in everything you attempt and the world is yours. So whatever “go get it” colloquialism you heard growing up, or later subscribed to in your older years, chances are your interpretation does not even begin to scratch the surface, literally, of what Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) must have heard in her youth. At the beginnings of Darren Aronofsky’s latest psychological dissection, “Black Swan”, we find Sayers on the precipice of landing her lifelong dream and goal; the opportunity to be the featured star performer for a long-standing and prestigious New York City ballet company’s production of “Swan Lake”.

When “Black Swan” opens, we see a flawless on-stage performance by Portman’s Sayers, bursting in intensity with dizzying visuals and gorgeous music. Quite immediately we realize that we are unclear as to our surroundings, the context purposefully blurred and obtuse. And throughout “Black Swan”, once we get a sense of what’s happening, the movie takes a right turn, lurching out into another direction, tone, and feel.

In her mid-20′s, Sayers lives for the ballet. It is her job, her life, her everything. She lives at home with her mother (Barbara Hershey), a former ballerina in her own right, and spends a large amount of time in a bedroom that seems unchanged from her pre-teen years. Stuffed animals are everywhere, a wind-up ballerina lullabies Nina to sleep at night, and Mom is always there to wake her up, get her ready, and “help” Nina stick to a strict regimen.

When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) announces that the new ballet season will open with a reinvention of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” without featuring the aging star ballerina, Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder), Nina seizes the opportunity to finally earn her spotlight. And then, Lily arrives.

Lily (Mila Kunis) is the newest addition to the New York ballet scene, transplanted from the west coast. She stands as a striking antithesis of Nina – the black swan to her white. Lily smokes, curses, has a social life, sports an impressive back tattoo, lacks proper decorum in rehearsal and all without any foreseeable repercussions. Nina cannot help but became curious about Lily, who also reaches out to Nina when the other more jealous members of the ballet company shun her completely. After some hesitation, Nina becomes friends with Lily, and Nina’s exposure to a whole new world places her at odds with her overbearing mother.

Despite Nina landing the lead role, Leroy is frustrated and not entirely convinced he has made the proper selection. His biggest gripe lies with Nina’s inability to find the darker and more sexual side of the Black Swan character. Leroy tries some rather unconventional measures in attempting to awaken the dark side of Nina’s character. Nina tries day in and day out but cannot seem to get “there.” As her friendship blossoms with Lily, and opening night approaches, Nina starts to encounter stranger and stranger situations she cannot rationalize and the pressure begins to mount for Nina to deliver the performance she feels she has been meant to play her entire life.

“Black Swan” is engrossing cinema. A film that is dazzling to watch, always a bit off center, and rich with symbolism and fascinating art and set direction. If you like it, I can almost guarantee you will need to see it more than once, as its subtle clues and hints and visual patterns are omniscient and unsettling. Aronofsky keeps you not just on the edge of your seat but a participant in the psychological evaluation that is “Black Swan.”

Aronofsky is buoyed to success in large part because of the extraordinary performance provided by Natalie Portman. Portman plays Sayers in a measured and studied way, but also as a character constrained by her emotional unrest and unease. There is not one second in this film where Nina is relaxed or comfortable. She is stunted and undersized both emotionally and physically, and tears and desperation are always bubbling at the surface. Easily her finest work to date, Portman owns the film and eventually us as well. Portman’s dedication in preparing for the role is already legendary and without question, she gives one of the year’s greatest performances.

Rounding out the cast, Aronofsky sees strong work from Barbara Hershey as Nina’s overprotective and vicarious mother. Upon learning that she has landed the lead role in “Swan Lake”, Nina’s tearful phone call to her mother tells you all you need to know about her upbringing and the relationship these two have had. Mila Kunis is a terrific surprise and Vincent Cassel is a nasty, vile, and perversely effective ballet teacher who brings out a side in Nina she never knew she possessed. Winona Ryder even cameos impressively in her small role. With performances this good, you begin to think that “Black Swan” is a film that will hit epic and unforgettable heights. And it almost gets there.

In a film that gets so much right, it is a bit of a disappointment that it telegraphs where it ends up rather obviously. The film almost unravels in its final act, where the chaos and intensity of a pending opening night and Nina’s big moment feels handled almost too recklessly. But Aronofsky’s psychological horror film soars on Portman’s work, and the work of her supporting cast, and even with the movie struggling to find that last gear when it needs to be accelerating to new speeds, we are entrenched on that stage, around the backstage, in the dressing rooms, and most importantly for Aronofsky – In. That. Mind.

Some will find this whole excursion polarizing, with its odd and disorienting moments ringing hollow to viewers who prefer conventional A to B storytelling. And yet, I cannot imagine someone not admiring the artistry on display here. From the physicality and emotion found in Portman’s performance, to the Tchaikovsky-infused score supplemented by Clint Mansell and to the extraordinary work by cinematographer Matthew Libatique, “Black Swan” is impressive on so many levels.

“Black Swan” is beautiful and unsettling, fascinating and disarming. And it further defines Darren Aronofsky’s as a filmmaker who holds no interest in observing a story, as much as he likes to chigger his way into its bloodstream and manually induce a heartbeat for his viewers. Like the tragic drug addicts in 2000′s “Requiem For A Dream” and the scarecrow of a man Mickey Rourke brought to life in 2008′s “The Wrestler”, Aronofsky lives to tell the tales of people at their most vulnerable and desperate. And few fit that bill more aptly than Nina Sayers.

Should I See It?

YES

Anyone who is a fan of Darren Aronofsky’s probing and unsettling character studies will be beside themselves watching this. “Black Swan” is a fantastical exhibition and thrilling to experience.

Natalie Portman, one of the finest female actors of our time, is better than ever here. She leaves it all on screen and takes her performance to a deep and dark place. I fear she took a few years off the end of her career with her work here. Amazing.

This is mental horror – creepy, disorienting, and nerve-wracking. Skillfully presented, you may have the rug pulled out from under more than once in figuring this out.

See it once for the experience, then a second time to catch any clues that may be dropped in by Aronofsky. Then tell people about the movie and see it with them.

NO

Strong adult subject matter will turn people off. The film does delve into themes of sexual identity and awareness that in the context of the film I would argue make sense, but for some it will lose them completely.

This is unconventional filmmaking and fits more in the arthouse than the multiplex. There is a sense I had that some people may grow tired of its dips and turns and just feel toyed with.

Even if you love the entire excursion, the ending may play false when compared to the rest of the film. A few people complained audibly at my screening and then again, one woman sobbed openly and uncontrollably sitting near me – so who knows how you will react?!?!

If you are not a fan of Darren Aronofsky’s previous films (π, Requiem For A Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler), and the effort it takes to get through them, this is not a film you will enjoy.