Black Swan

Awards season is just around the corner -- one of my favorite parts of the year. And I try my best to see as many of the nominations as possible. Black Swan, however, I not only wanted to see before the awards shows, but also because I just thought it looked like a great movie.

Great movie might be an overstatement, and good movie might be more appropriate. It is somewhat difficult to find great movies these days, although I still have my hopes up for 'Blue Valentine' (which I plan on seeing this weekend).

One thing that is truly great about 'Black Swan' is Natalie Portman's performance. She embodied the innocence and darkness of the character perfectly, and I truly believe that if it weren't for her the movie would have been dull and slow. One reason her character was so great was thanks to the playing off of Mila Kunis' performance. While not quite at the same level of Natalie Portman, Mila's role was very surprising and refreshing when compared to roles she has been attached to in the past. 

As far as the movie in general goes, it is definitely not for everyone. It is not just a movie about dance like Center Stage, for example, but it is a movie about how dance can truly affect some people. It can take over their lives, both physically and mentally, and essentially turn them into a dark person that lets nothing get in their way of gaining recognition and moving up in the company. The line between reality and fantasy becomes blurred, and in this case the fantasy, albeit a very dark fantasy, takes over.