Check out the trailer review for the horror, ballet flick "Black Swan," directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman and Vincent Cassel.
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Black Swan Trailer Review: An Ambitious Mix of
Suspense, Horror, and Ballet
From director Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan is a psychological thriller in which a New York City ballerina, driven for perfection, becomes ensnared in a network of backstage intrigue with a rival member of her company. The concept of monomania is nothing new for Aronofsky, who previously dealt with the subject matter in 2009’s The Wrestler. However, the obsession and artistic communion that is portrayed inBlack Swan is far more unholy and disturbing than the agonizing dedication that is evidenced in The Wrestler, whose title character, one could argue, represents a Christ figure. Black Swan stars Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, and Mila Kunis.
Set in the high-strung world of Big Apple ballet, Black Swan delves into the psyche of featured dancer Nina Sayers (Portman), who has just been cast in the duplicitous role of the swan queen in the company’s production of Swan Lake. Nina, who is more tightly wound than her coiled chignon hairdo, is given the part with some reluctance on the part of Artistic Director, Thomas Leroy (Cassel), who feels that Nina perfectly embodies the delicate temperament of the white swan but is far too reserved to capture the guile and sensuality of her black counterpart. As the trailer progresses, the initial reverie is turned into something much more nightmarish, and Nina finds herself haunted by the seductive persecution of her rival, Lilly (Kunis), or could it be her own paranoid imagination? Either way, it is through Nina’s attempts both to summon and to harness her inner black swan that the stage is set for the delusional horror that ensues in this menacingly twisted fairy tale.
In the trailer for Black Swan, the thematic language and imagery deal heavily with contrasting motifs and the idea of tragic duality. The most apparent of which, white versus black, is evidenced by the two versions of the swans. Then there are the ideas of frigidity versus seduction and control versus release. Nina’s constipated demeanor, which the trailer communicates with her frequent staccato gasps of air, is a sharp contrast to Lilly’s alluring playfulness, which makes a marked impression on the director, who tells Nina, “She’s not faking it.”
The trailer for Black Swan adeptly chronicles Nina’s intense character transformation, which appears to be its principle objective. The opening scene spotlights a graceful soloist dressed all in white: “I had the craziest dream last night. About a girl who was turned into a swan. But her prince falls for the wrong girl, and…she kills herself,” Natalie Portman says ominously. From there, the tension crescendos and the scenes become increasingly sexually charged and terrorizing, all the while begging the question, is Lilly really after Nina or is it all in Nina’s head? From what is evidenced, Natalie Portman gives a raw and impressive performance, ably shouldering each stage of Nina’s arc; from delicate and determined to teetering on the brink of madness. Also, with the final scene in which Natalie Portman plucks a black feather from her skin, her eyes glowing red, one last surge of intrigue is pumped into the trailer alerting the viewer to expect the unexpected with Black Swan.
To read more trailer reviews by Michaela, visit her blog PlayThePreviews.wordpress.com.
