Pink Julep at the Movies: Black Swan

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Marc and I went to see Black Swan on Friday, which is when it opened here in the UK. We were pretty amazed by it, but the more I think about it, the less impressed I am with it, though there's no doubting that it's a great film!

Black Swan is about Nina, a ballet dancer with a professional company in New York City who lives with her mother and is for all intents and purposes, very timid and passive. When she auditions for the lead role in a new interpretation of Swan Lake, things in her life start changing rapidly and spinning out of control.

This is a twisted and graphic film at best. I wouldn't recommend it as a family film at all. In fact I had a few nightmares afterward! The performances by Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Wynona Ryder and Barbara Hershey are very good! Also, the music from Swan Lake is beautiful no matter where you hear it! We've been singing it all week in our house!

As for criticisms, I'm not overly impressed with the directing of Black Swan. The in-motion cinematography is distracting at best and nearly made me sick. Also, the costumes by Rodarte though so beautiful, just weren't very believable. I don't think I've ever seen a ballet where the ballerinas had side cleavage. It just doesn't really happen...

All in all, this is a great film though and if you have time, it's definitely worth seeing, but don't expect it to be a pretty, happy, you're gonna make it after all warm and fuzzy ballet film, because it's not that at all!