Black Swan

There have been times when I tried for First Day First Show of a movie, even got couple First Day Second Shows, numerous First Day Last Shows, but when it came to Black Swan, it really deserved the recognition.

Now I don't know a thing about ballet, apart from the fact that it is a dance form where skinny girls hop on their toes, which is tough (I keep remembering Kate Winslet's scene from Titanic whenever this comes up), trying to portray a flying visualisation, but then neither are others easy.

The film starts with a very powerful, dramatic and extremely well choreographed and executed ballet sequence which makes the hair on your arm stand. And all throughout the movie, the sudden sensation of excitement, fear, and dramatics does not let them settle down. You are always at the edge of your seats, being bombarded by jolts of above one after another which goes on till the end of the movie. Black Swan is categorized as Drama/Thriller, and it never misses a beat when it comes to both these genre.

You can argue about the message this film might try to portray, but that never comes into question when you are watching it. There are some pretty gruesome and violent scenes, including sexual references, which can be disturbing to some audiences, but for that the movie has been rightly categorised as 15 (here in UK).

The story is about a young ballerina (Natalie Portman) who is obsessed about her role as the Swan Princess in a ballet performance, which includes both positive and negative personifications, and her transformation from one to another to fulfill this. She is perfect in one form, but lacks the passion in other, and this obsession to be impeccable is what defines the character, and the movie.

I am glad that I saw this movie on an advanced screening, for missing this would have been a crime. I would advice serious cinema enthusiasts to watch this, for this will give you something to think about, and appreciate as a whole, even hours after you would have left the cinema screen. I have never seen such a powerful portrayal of a character, and neither such a strong direction in all my years of watching cinema (and I have watched quite a few). Never has a film deserved my appreciation for an award while I am still sitting on the cinema seats and the first set of credits are rolling, but I would definitely want to see Black Swan get a few, especially Natali Portman for her compelling performance as the Swan Princess.

My rating : 9.5/10