How could I not watch this film when all I’ve heard are fantastic reviews.
This beautifully, eerie film was art directed perfectly. Shades of innocent pink and white connotating ageless, feminine ballet along with strong black tones emphasizing the dark side Natalie Portman has to find within herself; and she definitely does that. The pure, flawless dancer Nina Sayers gets the role as Queen Swan; displaying control and skill means the White Swan isn’t an issue but she struggles to find the dark, seductive passion within to evoke the character of the Black Swan.
Some crazy, squeamish things happen throughout; drugs, smashed glass, nail files to name a few. My favourite bits were where Nina is subtly turning into a swan what with her toes sticking together like a webbed foot, little black feathers coming out of a graze like an un plucked chicken, and her neck growing tall as she is being strangled by her alter ego. All of these effects are far fetched, and I have to admit got a bit of a laugh by some members of the audience, which I don’t think was intended, but this almost ‘Alice in Wonderland’ visual to the film did it for me.