Black Swan (2010)

Yikes! Intense, nasty, and unforgettable, its description "psycho-sexual thriller" is only part of the story of an obsessed ballet dancer competing for the lead in a new version of Swan Lake. Jack warns it's not a recruiting movie for young ballerinas! Starting with a dream, and moving in and out of hallucinations, this is something you should not see alone, nor in a blue mood. Bring someone to hug and be prepared to cover your eyes, if you do that sort of thing, for a few gory moments here and there, when you may not be expecting it. As I wrote in my post on The Wrestler, I've been a fan of director Darren Aronfsky since 1998, with the movie Pi. Natalie Portman (I wrote about her in Brothers) should earn another Oscar nomination for her portrayal of a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown (and she apparently was injured more than once on the set, according to the spoiler-free trivia page on imdb). She lost 20 pounds to look properly anorexic for the role, and her dancer Nina Sayers is so tightly wound that one is not surprised she is hitting bottom RIGHT NOW. Multi-nominated cinematographer Matthew Libatique's (Aronfosky's Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and The Fountain (2006); Spike Lee's She Hate Me (2004) and Inside Man (2006); Iron Man 2, its prequel, and more) camera follows her stiff walk from her dysfunctional home to her dysfunctional workplace, with her hair, wound up as tightly as her personality, in the middle of the frame. The mirror and bird imagery are spectacular. After you've seen this one, get Ricky from netflix for a fluffy respite, and think about why Aronofsky put that rash right there on her back.

The script, by Mark Heyman (his first), Andres Heinz (ditto), and John McLaughlin (his second, after the vapid-sounding but unseen-by-me Man of the House (2005)), with story by Heinz, is sublime. I guess the director brought out the best in some very promising guys. On the other hand, 62 year old Barbara Hershey has 92 titles on her resumé (although--sorry, fellow chicks--I hated the syrupy Beaches (1998) and her artificially plumped lips, my faves are The Stunt Man (1980), The Right Stuff (1983), The Natural (1984), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Tin Men (1987), Falling Down (1993), and now this) and her portrayal of Nina's thin-lipped dreadful mother is spot on (Jack also says don't watch this for Mothers' Day). French actor Vincent Cassel (scary in the excellent Read My Lips (Sur mes lèvres - 2001), Eastern Promises (2007), more) is great as the demanding prick who is the company's artistic director Thomas. Gorgeous despite also having to lose weight for the part, Mila Kunis (Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), Extract, and a funny cameo in Date Night) plays Lily, Nina's sexy rival for the part, and at one point I saw a flash of Jackie Burkhart, the bitch she played for 8 years on That '70s Show, which gave me a needed laugh. I also laughed when I read in the credits the name of the choreographer, Benjamin Millepied (here's some gossip and a photo), whose last name is French for 1000 feet. Winona Ryder (I wrote about her in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee) deserves mentioning for her moving turn as the company's bitter soon-to-be-ex-prima ballerina.

The music by Aronofsky's only film composer Clint Mansell (also wrote for Moon and some lighter fare) (listen to this link, which starts up very quietly, and move on down the right side for more tracks) is wonderful. I'm not a ballet aficionado and had nothing to criticize in the dancing. Also some bloggers over at The Playlist wrote about some cool posters that I had never seen before. There's some hot sex in this, and the downside of a crowded theatre is having to listen to the vocal reactions of a young man sitting nearby.

Nominated for a ton of awards, with Oscars expected, this is a must for serious film buffs. That said, it's hard to watch, every bit as hard as Requiem for a Dream. Neither is recommended for late at night. After you see it, read J. Hoberman's humorous review in the Village Voice (written in what my mother would have called purple prose), and then find some way to have a good belly laugh. You'll need it!