What is Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan”?
Director and screenwriter Darren Aronofsky has always had a unifying vision in his films, whether they’re black-and-white conspiracy thrillers (Pi, 1998), submarine ghost stories (Below, 2002), or time-travelling historical epics (The Fountain, 2006), to name just a few. His unifying vision is dark and visually striking, bringing out a visual poetry that’s getting rarer and rarer on the big screen. His newest film, Black Swan, is at once a continuation of his favorite themes, and something entirely new.The film is set in the ballet scene of New York City during a production of Swan Lake. The plot centers around the dual roles that the main character must play: the innocent White Swan and the seductive Black Swan. However, instead of one person playing both roles, the film begins with TWO ballerinas, only one of whom can get the part. Will it be Nina (played by Natalie Portman) who is perfect for the White Swan role, or Lily (Mila Kunis) who embraces the darker Black Swan role? The situation becomes more complex as Nina begins to go to extremes to bring out the darkness in herself.The film has been compared to early Roman Polanski works, both by reviewers and those directly involved with the film (Aronofsky and his actors). They have especially singled out Repulsion (1965), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), and The Tenant (1976)all part of Polanski’s “Apartment Trilogy”as similar works. Aronofsky also compared the film to his last movie, The Wrestler (2008), citing how both films focus on the effort different artists must put into their work. He calls it a “companion piece,” one dealing with a “higher” form of art as opposed to the “low art” of wrestling. Aronofsky called in ballet professionals to make sure that the field was represented as accurately as possible. Portman and Kunis both put in six months of training, and Portman pulls off a number of the ballet scenes by herself.The film has garnered positive reviews from most sources, even before its official release. The film will have a limited release in the US and Canada on December 3, 2011, and will be released in the UK on February 11, 2011.