Title: Black Swan
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Written by: Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John J. McLaughlin
Initial Flickchart position: #83 of 1381 overall. My #3 film, of 75, from the year 2010 (but it’ll probably end up #1 or 2).
What It’s About:
A ballet dancer (Natalie Portman) wins the lead in “Swan Lake” and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan – Princess Odette – but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile, the Black Swan.
General Comments:
I have no idea how to put into words just how good this film is. Everyone and everything about it is brilliant, but that shouldn’t really be a surprise considering the quality of Aronofsky’s previous work. Natalie Portman won best actress from the Academy Awards, Austin Film Critics Association, BAFTA Awards, Boston Society of Film Critics Awards, Central Ohio Film Critics Association, Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards, Florida Film Critics Circle Awards, Golden Globes, Independent Spirit Awards, Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards, Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards, Online Film Critics Society Awards, and the Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards. That’s a damn huge list of awards for Portman and it’s obvious to me that she clearly deserved them all and many more besides. It’s also worth noting that Mila Kunis did a very good job too, which if your only exposure to her had been That 70s Show, may not be something you’d expect.
Watch Black Swan because it’s proof that there are still some people out there who want to create exciting and original films, instead of the typical Hollywood sequel/remake garbage.
Rating: 9/10
