When I first started writing this blog I had decided I would write pieces about all the films I saw. But I thought fuck that. An earlier entry was about a run of the mill Chris Rock film. So I decided to focus on films that genuinely moved me.
The Black Swan certainly falls in that category. The story itself is fairly formulaic. It is of an obsessive dancer trying to achieve perfection and slowly being driven mad in the process. Nut that is all I would say was clichéd about it. The camera work was a little annoying at first but I quickly got used to it and the grainy film quality enhanced it perfectly.
It has a great supporting cast with Vincent Cassel as the sleazy but brilliant director and Barbara Hershey as the stifling mom. But overall this is undoubtedly Portman's film. As I sit here and think about it there were no scenes where she was absent. Quite honestly she is fantastic. She displays her characters subtle descent into madness brilliantly without resorting to ticks and tricks often employed. You can see her genuine confusion about whether she is becoming mad and it is gripping.
It is simply a wonderful film and if you miss it you are missing out.
No comments:
Post a Comment