Swan Song

I watched Black Swan last night. To call it anything less than a work of artistic mastery would be blasphemy. I have been waiting for Black Swan to come out for over 8 months, I was prepared to be disappointed. Building up that much hype about a film inside yourself generally tends to lead to disappointment. But Black Swan was far from disappointing.

First off, the characters were flawlessly played, deep and intriguing. I know a lot of people felt that Nina, beautifully portrayed by Natalie Portman, especially seemed to be shallow and one dimensional. But I whole-heartedly disagree. I felt a very deep, and very real connection with her character. I understood exactly her plight regarding her fears of replacement. Having acted my whole life, I know what it feels like to be in constant competition not only against others, but with yourself. I have reacted in very similar way as her, it was almost like watching my acting career in the third person.

People said, "But it didn't even seem like she enjoyed any of her dancing though!" But I know why that is. As an actor, you strive to perfect every little detail, to feel the emotions of your character, to lose every fiber of your being into theirs. The same can be said about dance. And until you get on that stage, with the lights burning in your eyes and lose yourself, you are never truly happy. 

But, enough about the fabulous acting and the personal connection I felt with the film. The costuming was FABULOUS. Rodarte designed two looks for Portman, one for her role as the Black Swan, and one for her role as the White Swan. They also designed a look for one of the principle male leads for the production of Swan Lake, Von Rothbart.

While I loved the softness and delicate femininity of the White Swan, I preferred the dark theatrical nature of the Black Swan. In fact, my favorite scene from the film occurred when Nina danced the part of the Black Swan. Not only was the makeup flawlessly edgy, the dress really made her seem to be like an overgrown (but still darkly beautiful) black swan.

Final Words: What are you still doing here reading my blog? Go watch Black Swan!