Well well well... here's one of this (last) years most anticipated films. Eccentrics everywhere are agog with how profound and astonishing this film is. But... sadly... I am alienating myself and possibly any secret readers out there, but this was simply not the case for me.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed this film, but overall, as far as stellar films go, this is not mind blowing to me. And as far as Darren Aronofsky films go... this is just a good flick.
Okay okay, from the beginning right? Premise, for those who have been sheltered from the reviews (I envy you), is this: Natalie Portman plays a repressed gifted ballerina who gets the role of a lifetime in Swan Lake, and the movie captures the struggle internal/external/etc she endures for the art.
Simple enough, and trust me the less you know the better. I was familiar with the premise, and I knew somewhat the potential arc that would transpire on screen. For me this removed me from any of the profoundness of the story. I mean once you accept the premise, you can anticipate the arc, and at that point it simply becomes a show about the journey rather than being there with the character and undertaking the journey with them.
Sure there is messed up stuff, and stuff that will make you second guess elements you witnessed, but really, and I mean honestly folks, step back from the film for one second and ask yourself if you haven't seen similar stories transpire in film, television, or literature before? "But not to this degree..." you might retort, but I think that it is just the hype talking.
Much to the chagrin of my wife, I just cannot accept that this is as great a film as people are claiming it to be, and I am not doing so simply to be contrary. I wanted to like this film. I was relishing the consistently positive reviews, but instead I got too far and found myself in the awkward territory of a film that is over hyped. And it was a good film, a film I enjoyed, but ultimately I felt underwhelmed by what transpired. I left the theatre feeling that I wanted more. Not of Natalie Portman though, she was solid.
She was, I will admit, astounding in this role simply for the dedication to character and the film, and what she undertook to complete the role. She was entirely consistent with the character and kept me engaged with the story.
Vincent Cassel was enjoyable as always in what could have easily been simply a villain role, but he kept it balanced and complex. Mila Kunis, though I always enjoy her as an actress, was simply one dimensional for me. Simply to serve as a foil for Natalie Portman and her psyche. The actress playing the mother was decently complex and twisted as well and the rest of the cast was sufficient at being ballet cast members. I can't really comment on the dance technically.
Some other issues I had were the random insertions of comedic moments in the film that removed any sense of tension and gravitas. My wife disagrees with me wholeheartedly insisting that it was the POINT of the film to have them, and that I am simply missing the PARALLELS of the DICHOTOMIES of virgins and harlots or some such thing. She offered to draw me a diagram but failed to deliver before I wrote this review. I do get that there was supposed to be the elements of "reality" that when shown in juxtaposition with "mentality" are meant to be jarring, but ultimately were unintentionally or unfortunately intentionally funny.
Two last observations I will make, is that in the theatre the male to female ratio was about 90:1, which doesn't necessarily account for much, because I did WANT to see the film, and it's possible many men do not. But there could be an additional element which affects females in a greater capacity than men. Of which I simply cannot comment. Or it could be that I am a robot like my wife says.
The second observation is that my wife, as a dancer felt a much stronger kinship with the trials and tribulations shown on film (in a much lesser capacity thankfully) which could also make for why she was able to connect to it more. I would have thought that any profession in the performance arts could invoke similar threads of connection emotionally, but I simply did not commiserate to the same capacity as her.
The good: Natalie Portman by far. Great acting, and many times did hurt my heart at how fragile she was. The style (when sticking to style) was also fascinating but left me wanting more.
The bad: Darren Aronofsky for not going further. I felt he didn't do this one as much justice as he did with Requiem for a Dream or even the Wrestler. I dearly hope that fame is not going to his head. Mila Kunis, again though I enjoy her, simply didn't seem as pivotal as she should have been.
Final Thoughts: Film enthusiasts should definitely go watch this film. As should dancers, and artists of every ilk. But go in without the hype and enjoy it more than me. Then come back and tell me how I am simply wrong in my point of view. Ha ha.
Add to the vault? My wide may want it, but I will pass personally. I can enjoy this film, but it simply isn't as good as a film as the masses are making it to be. Still a solid effort. Go watch it!
I think it's great that this was originally supposed to be a part of the movie the wrestler. If you view the 2 as a complete work (it's sorta intended that way, from what I gather) it makes Black Swan a better movie, imo.
ReplyDeleteI don't know. Personally I still disagree. I read the same interviews with Aronofsky, and all he elaborates on is that there are similar themes of devotion to the art. It started originally as a love story. So removing the love story and having one tale about the "low" art of wrestling, and one about the "high" art of ballet is fine, but putting them together in context doesn't make one or the other any better imo. But to each their own.
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued to see this because I really like Aronofsky and what the man can do with a movie, but I can't stand movies that are hyped this much. I prefer to wait until the hype has died down, ie., the movie gets released on DVD. Then, I can watch it in the comfort of my own home, with a glass of wine, and develop my own opinions without constantly being bombarded by "GREATEST OSCAR CONTENDER ALL YEAR, OMFGLOL!!!11!1!!"
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think, is it a "see before the major awards shows and while it's still in theatre"? Or should I wait for DVD?
I honestly think that as good as it is, wait for the hype to die down like you said. Ignore any awards it might get and try your best to forget about it. Then when it comes out on DVD, grab your wine, and enjoy it forgetting why anyone liked it in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI made the mistake of thinking it would be stylistic enough that watching it in the theatre was a necessity. I probably would have enjoyed it more if we watched it at home.