Posts tagged mila kunis

After sparking the revival of Mickey Rourke in 2008’s The Wrestler,  Darren Aronofsky has returned to his beloved and distinct style, which burst into the mainstream with his drug-induced opus, Requiem for a Dream. Although he has veered away from the concept of broken dreams, he instead investigates the psyche of a young ballerina, desperate for perfection to make sure her dream takes flight.

Natalie Portman stars in this critically-acclaimed thriller/drama/fantasy flick as frail and doe-eyed Nina Sayers, who relentlessly practices to increase her chance of dance-stardom. With a strict diet and a damaged diaphragm, she wins the lead as The Swan Queen in a city ballet company’s adaptation of Swan Lake. But show director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) is unsure of his decision since she is “too uptight” to follow his ground-breaking concept to have the White Swan and the Black Swan played by the same dancer. In turn, she becomes obsessed with proving him wrong and staying ahead of her top competition — California dancer Lily (Mila Kunis). While Nina’s exact movements and gleaming innocence is ideal for the White Swan, Lily’s carefree attitude and effortless sensuality makes her a top choice as the Black Swan.

Aronofsky shows viewers a twisted hybrid of grim ballerina life and competitive female frenemies. Nina pushes her body to the limit to show she is worthy of her role. At the same time, Lily is observing her every move and inches into her life to form a twisted relationship filled with venomous rivalry and dangerous attraction.

“I got a little homework assignment for you. Go home and touch yourself. Live a little,” Leroy tells Nina after a grueling and unsuccessful rehearsal. The more she inches towards discovering her true sexual being, she moves closer to the line of becoming out of touch with her innocent self, and more towards her inner Black Swan.

Aronofsky meshes the boundaries between Nina’s fantastical deep thoughts and desires, and real life, making her life gradually crumble the more obsessed she becomes with perfection. Will she be the perfect Swan Queen? Will she be remembered? Will she be loved? She will, if she has anything to do with it. But with this relentless determination comes danger, with Aronofsky asking at what price will we pay for timeless perfection?

To some, the direction and overall concept of Black Swan  is too far-fetched and unrealistic. However, the power of Aronofsky’s work lies in the representation of each moment of fantasy and outrageousness  — Nina’s inner self being taken over by an unstoppable force, much like the White Swan. In essence, fantasy is becoming reality and literally taking over her identity. While this happens, her outside world is shaken and effected, showing that with every action, there is an opposite reaction.

It’s vital that viewers don’t just watch this film. Instead, they should observe, note subtle (yet important) details, and most importantly, talk with friends, family, spouses, etc., after a first viewing. You will see that you will pick up new things each time and undoubtedly learn something new after each viewing. If that doesn’t make a classic film, what does?