Directed by Darren Aronofsky
The magical ballet Swan Lake was first performed in Russia in 1877 and a myriad of interpretations over the decades have continued to enchant audiences. Originally there were two dancers who performed the roles of the white and black swans in a battle of good versus evil. More recently, one dancer has performed the demanding role, with the conflict of opposing forces being an internal one. When Nina (Natalie Portman) takes on the coveted role, she is forced to get in touch with her dark side and as the gruelling rehearsals progress, her shadow side threatens to take away her sanity.
Director Darren Aronofsky has taken the path that the white swan is the virginal young woman and Nina’s childish bedroom and overprotective mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) shows that Nina is perfect for the role. The ballet’s director (Vincent Cassel) doubts that Nina can adequately portray the black swan and is scarily provocative in trying to bring out the ‘lustful twin’. Rival dancer and understudy Lily (Mila Kunis) seems to have that sensual extra edge even though her technique is not as good. When Nina embarks on a strange friendship with the exuberant Lily, boundaries between reality and fantasy become blurred.
Natalie Portman has been nominated for all the major awards for her role in Black Swan and it is incredible how 29 year-old Portman effectively portrays the professional ballerina, seeing that her ballet training stopped when she was 13. Portman’s dedication to her craft is remarkable, taking on arduous ballet training for her character and the results are amazing. It is such a pity that she spent all of the film being anxious that getting in touch with her sexuality is seen as a descent into madness.
Lezly Herbert
