I would say yes, definitely, because until now I didn’t realize Aronofsky had directed The Wrestler. Previously I had written him off for the same reasons you did, but The Wrestler is fantastic. No idea about Black Swan as I haven’t seen it.
Hot. And disturbing.
Agreed on both accounts. I didn’t like Pi, was engrossed by Requiem, and loved the shit out of The Wrestler.
Watch it.
My personal mini-review would be that:
- Black Swan is really good.
- However, I’m not sure I buy into its premise that actors suffer for their art. Which actors are doing that today? The cast included a bunch of ex-drug addicts, but I’m not sure that I buy that Winona Ryder got messed up as a way to show more emotions on the screen – it’s because she made a lot of money and submitted to pressure. To me, through the whole movie, it seemed like there was a lurking elephant the whole time that the main character was schizophrenic and simply needed help. As such, I wasn’t sympathizing with her “artistic struggle”, I was just sorry for her that no one noticed that she needed help. I did appreciate the director’s intent, so I give him some credit for knowing how to get across his message, he just didn’t consider that there was an alternative explanation to everything which was far more plausible and stuck out far more strongly.
- While the movie is really good, it’s practically the same exact movie as Perfect Blue, which is better. Perfect Blue doesn’t have an artistic message, but since Black Swan’s artistic message failed due to item #2, they’re about even on that point. But then PB is more lively and interesting, so it ends up pulling ahead. Overall, you’re better off to see the other movie.
Not really. They share many similarities, that much is true, but they are not at all the same movie–they both conclude in entirely different ways.
And as one who saw PB second, I preferred Black Swan.
So…did anyone else think that the blood on her costume was her entry into maturity? That is was a symbol of menstruation?
I just got back from the late show of Black Swan. This is one of the best new movies I have seen in years. Natalie Portman will certainly get an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and there will be nominations for best editing, best director and best picture too.
Merged duplicate threads.
Thanks, Chief, I didn’t see the earlier thread. And yes it is a rehash of an earlier story, Swan Lake.
I just got back from seeing this movie and I thought it was amazing! It should earn all sorts of awards for acting, directing, and editing. I do have a question about one point though.
When she is doing a late night rehearsal and the lights go out she runs through the theater and sees herself having sex with the director. Did she actually do that or was that all in her head?
I saw this today and I thought the scene where Nina is dancing the black swan part was very emotional and powerful.
I thought it was Lilly that was with director? Nina thought that Lilly was trying to steal her role and sleeping with the director would have been part of that.
I’m not going to use spoiler tags since the thread title says “spoilers.”
I think the sex scene was all in her head because the director turns into a bird (was it a bird?) afterward. That seems to be her paranoia at work. I don’t think Lily (Mila Kunis) goes around touching the dancers crotches either.
This movie reminds me of the Roman Polanski film Repulsion, about another adolescent-like adult woman going crazy.
I usually don’t like psychological thrillers about one character, because I don’t care what some crazy person has going on inside their head. I really can’t relate to having hallucinations about turning into a swan. But I love films that look stunning. The ballet dancing and cinematography was excellent. That’s also why I enjoyed Repulsion (it looked good.)
This will give Portman her Academy Award. Well deserved.
The main thing that struck me was the strong similarity of this ending with that of The Wrestler – up to and including the “did s/he die?” ambiguity.
One of the people I was discussing it with after pointed out that the difference was the POV from which that final leap was shot – from below when the leaper was male, from above when she was female, similar to the partner’s POV in missionary-style heterosexual sex.
The dance in Swan Lake is The Dying Swan.
Mandatory “high art cinema” ending.
Well, I hope he comes up with a new ending for his next film.
Your definition of mandatory is different from the dictonary’s. 
I’m cursed with the inability to see layers and symbolism* and all that jazz, even when I try to actively look for it. I see things ‘straight’.
So in my opinion, she did die at the end, she did dance while injured and dying (it’s a movie people. Suspend some belief and get caught up in the performance) and she did go to the club and do drugs, but she came home alone (the other girl wasn’t in the cab).
She was a weirdo from the start, not least because her mom was a weirdo. But this role, it really possessed her to stark raving madness. Boy, did I love this movie.
Is Portman a trained ballerina?
ETA: *I do love when someone who can see the symbolism and stuff points it out to me. Then, I’m all, “Ohhhhh!”
Yes, she trained in classical ballet while growing up. She also put in over a year of training to prepare for the role.
Are there any ballet aficionados who can critique her ability? To a ballet Philistine such as myself she looked good.