Black Swan - Tim

Directed by Darren Aronofsky, 2010

"Well, nobody's perfect" ranks #48 among the most famous movie quotes. But even a good 51 years after Joe E Brown stated the obvious in Some Like It Hot, a lot of us still strive for perfection in a dog-eat-dog society. Although after seing Black Swan (twice!) I should say danseuse-eat-danseuse. At first glance, the plot is simple enough as a sacrifice-everything-for-success story, like Aronofsky's previous picture The Wrestler: Nina (Natalie Portman), who dances for a New York ballet company, competes for the lead role in a new version of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. Under pressure from her mother (Barbara Hershey) and the ballet director Thomas (Vincent Cassell), her uncompromising self-sacrifice seem to be driving her over the edge. Or is someone really out to get her? Thomas rejects this notion, telling her 'the only person standing in your way is you', and recommending masturbation as a way for Nina - perfectly apt to play the white swan - to discover the dark, lustful side she must unleash to embody the black one as well.

Black Swan is built on an awe-inspiring centre performance by Natalie Portman, whose amount of preparation for the role even dwarfs those of Robert de Niro for Raging Bull or Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler: 6-12 months of ballet training, putting in the occasional 16-hour day have paid off when you see the end result. It is hard to imagine any other actress playing this part, fragile innocence on the one hand - an insane, even violent will to suceed on the other.

Sharp contrasts are the recurring theme of the film. There is company newcomer Lily (Mila Kunis) who possesses all the emotions Nina desires - lust, independence, self-indulgence, humour - and effortlessly inserts them into her dancing. There is the contrast between the safe but restrictive flat Nina shares with her mother and the cold, dangerous, but exciting and liberating world outside. There is Thomas who plays hot and cold in an all but revolting manner and whose office, a visit to which is an unavoidable stopover on a young dancer's way to fame, holds no colours except black and white. Lastly, a vital role is played by mirrors. Whether in the changing rooms, at home, on stage or the underground, Nina cannot escape from the fact that sooner or later, her face on the posters will be replaced by a younger one and she will no longer be summoned to the ballet director's office. It is this sneaking, insufferable realisation that makes her hate herself - and break the mirror.

Black Swan is likely to win the following Academy Awards:
Best Picture
Best Actress: Natalie Portman