The movie starts in a dream that Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) has. She's playing the white swan. Nina is a ballerina in a dance company. Her mother, a failed ballerina herself, drives her daughter relentlessly in the hopes of having her life her own dreams. Ballet, is a dance form that requires years and years of effort and because of this, it requires not just physical strength from the dancers, but instead immense emotional and mental strength. To be able to stand on your toes might be easy, but to stand all the pressure, the years of practice for that one break in your career isn't.
The story is about Nina, it's about how she's the perfect ballerina for the white swan, who's fragile, pure, and fearful. But that's not all one requires to get the part, she must also embody the character of the black swan, her dark twin. That character is aware of her sexuality, careless and free. The director of the show decides to let go of his primary ballerina who must now retire. He wants to cast someone new and knows that Nina can play the part of the white swan to perfection, it's whether she's able to also play the black swan that's the deciding part. In a close conversation with her, he realizes that she indeed can, it's only a question of whether she allows herself to let go of her control enough to be free in the complete sense of the term.
The tension of playing the part withstanding, Nina must also face backstage rivalry mixed with admiration, in the face of Lily (Mila Kunis). She is the perfect black swan, very aware of her sexuality, playful with men, sensual and original. Through Nina's eyes she sees her as a threat, because she fears that all she wants is her part. Lily surprises her and plays with her mind in a way. She comes to Nina one night, to take her out, to get her to let go of all the controls. Amidst all the drunkenness that follows, we see Nina's attraction to Lily in a devastating strength.
Nina, wants to keep her life away from her mother who she sees as a controlling, pressurizing person in her life. Her mother realizes that slowly playing this part is taking a toll on her daughter, instead of seeking help for her daughter, she tries to merely talk it out of her, leading to a point where Nina is convinced that even she is trying to stop her from playing the part and injures her in order to run to the theatre for her opening night's performance.
She reaches the stage to see the director preparing Lily for the show and tells him that she's here and she's going to play her part. The director senses something in her and lets her play the part. The first act is a disaster, she knows she's falling apart mentally, she can see and is getting affected by the way the people are staring, by Lily's presence and she falls, barely managing to continue her performance.
The brilliance of the movie is in the final 30 mins, when the actual story unravels and how. Her performance in the final two acts is beyond beautiful, it's revealing, it's grand, and it stuns the hell out of you... This movie is awesome, and Natalie Portman deserves every bit of praise and awards for her performance.
Comments