Frankly speaking, I can't put a finger on the genre. Its categorized as a drama and a thriller. Wait, wasn't Drama the exact opposite of a thriller ?? Thats what Darren Aronofsky set out to refute, and I am quite amazed at the result.
For me, Black Swan was a mashup of horror-disgust('The Ring' like effects, where they show something uneasy and immediately change the scene), titillation(Portman's encounters with both Leroy and Lily), and severe tragedy. Natalie Portman appears so vulnerable throughout the screening that you actually wish there was atleast some colour in her life. Her problems are both psychological and physical- she deals with the trauma accompanying the beautiful yet painful dance form apart from her problems arising due to the mysterious Lily (Mila Kunis) and the demanding Leroy (Vincent Cassel).
Is it a spectacular film ? It is. You wouldn't have seen something similar before, I am sure. The restrained portrayal of a ballet dancer desperate to do something big by Portman was surely academy award worthy. However, if you will ask me whether it was an entertaining film, I might be confused.
Reasons ? The film is a little obtuse for naive viewers like me, who will find trouble connecting with the script. To add to it, the absolutely black nature makes it a somewhat demotivating watch. Quite something which Indian viewers are not used to. In recent times, I would mildly liken it to Dhobi Ghat, if I talk about the effect it has on the audience.
Watch it for the spectacular acting and an amazing script. Watch it to appreciate Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis's hard work training for the Ballet sequences.
Skip it because it is a critics film, and not your run-of-the-mill swashbuckling entertainer. Skip it because I did not quite love it the way I loved 'The Blind Side', which got Sandra Bullock the same award last year.
PS - I had some free time, and here's what I found.
BLACK SWAN (2010)
Got Portman the Oscar and the Screen Actor's Guild (and 2 others - BAFTA and BFCAA).
The film got nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, but lost.
The first oscar for Portman.
BL_ _ _ S _ _ _
BLIND SIDE(2009)
Got Bullock the Oscar and the Screen Actor's Guild (and 2 others - Golden Globe and BFCAA).
The film got nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, but lost.
The first oscar for Bullock.
BL_ _ _ S_ _ _ (If you let me omit 'The')
Looks neat !!
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