Black Swan Leaps, But Doesn't Soar

Director Darren Aronfosky's hyperstylized films are always about intense people driven to commit crazed acts—and they always makes me overwhelmingly uninterested in giving those passions a try. See his unbalanced mathematician in Pi, heroin users in Requiem for a Dream, the wrestler in The Wrestler (Black Swan. So yes, all those jobs are officially crossed off my When I Grow Up list. (What's Aronofsky's next film about? Wolverine. Don't want to be that either.)

If you haven't heard the descriptor a million times by now, Black Swan is the heavily buzzed-about "psychosexual thriller" with Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis as bicurious Swan Lake doppelganger frenemies. Sure, there's some hot lezzie action, but besides that It's All About Eve meets The Red Shoes meets Carrie meets The Grand Guignol, which ends up being a whole lot of nothing.

If anything, there's striking similarities between Black Swan and The Wrestler, in terms of documenting the elaborate rituals and the physical sacrifices required of both types of performers.  Each film literally follows its protagonist, with the camera often right behind their heads. (Black Swan's camerawork is actually quite lovely, as cinematographer Matthew Libatque seemingly dances right along with the ballet. Also, the Rodarte costumes are to die for, obvs.)

I am committed to a life of no spoilers, so I dare not say too much, but my main issue with the film is one of intent, in that there are some aspects that are so melodramatic and over the top and Showgirlsy that the audience is laughing, whether or not that's the appropriate response.  I don't think Black Swan was intended to be camp (or a trashy high art fever dream), but it reads that way, and there's also some cheap "boo!" moments that are beneath this ostensibly high-minded film. Part of the problem is that there's so many issues being tackled, and tackled in such an unsubtle fashion—catty backbiting amongst women, mutilation in the name of beauty, daddy issues, mommy issues, the price of fame—that the film ends up being muddled, while in other respects, it's too on the nose, neat, and tidy.  Black Swan aims high and that's commendable, but the ways in which it falters are too big to ignore.

(Black Swan opens in Seattle today at Pacific Place, the Guild 45th, and Lincoln Square.)