I have no television at present, and only ever get online these days to squee and flail about Doctor Who. (Or, er. Do research.) So I've seen posters for this around at random places, but have no idea what it's about. Fill me in?
It's about a ballet dancer who gets cast in the role of the Swan Queen in a production of Swan Lake, in which she has to play both the White Swan (a pure, fragile, timid character, more in fitting with her own perfectionist nature) and also the Black Swan (a seductive, slightly malicious character) and the strains of the role on her, physical and mental. She has an overbearing, controlling, ex-ballerina mother and the director of the show keeps pushing her to improve her performance of the Black Swan, and the other dancers want her role, and - okay I am not doing it justice, summaries are not one of my strong points. WATCH THE TRAILER (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaI1XOB-bs).
PSYCHOLOGICAL BALLET THRILLER. It is amazing, it completely blew me away.
WOW. I just watched the trailer now, and it looks amazing. There's a theater not far from my apartment, I should see if it's still playing for next weekend.
- Natalie Portman was like UNBELIEVABLY AMAZING?? I have loved her since I saw V For Vendetta (can't talk about it, crying) and also I'd seen her in Closer before that and been like "SHE IS AWESOME" but she really really impressed me in Black Swan. - WE INTERRUPT THIS COMMENT TO SAY DAMN GIRL, HOW HOT WAS MILA KUNIS? - also Natalie Portman, come to that. - WINONA RYDER, how you doing? Idek why I love her so much but I have done since I was little and I don't even know what it was I must have seen her in at that age. It was probably Edward Scissorhands but I remember her with the black bob not blonde hair? idek idek. - ACTUAL THOUGHTS ON THE FILM? - it was creeeeepy. Like, any time there's a shot where a character is in front of a mirror in the bathroom but looks down into the sink and the camera dips down with them it's just like 'noooo pleeeeease doooon't looook UP AUGH AUGH HORROR", so. - I loved the swan flesh effect - idek what to call it, but when it looked like there were goosebumps sliding under her skin? That was amaze. - THE WHOLE FINAL DANCE, OH MY GOD. ~swan song. - The way she couldn't do the white swan properly by the end - SHE STABBED HERSELF AND THOUGHT SHE'D STABBED MILA KUNIS homg I legit didn't see that coming. I thought it was going to turn out that she'd stabbed her mother. - I really liked that it wasn't made implicitly clear which things were really happening and which things were just in Nina's head? Like, when she slept with Lily but it didn't happen, and it was the first time it was actually stated that she was an unreliable POV to be following - I mean, obviously with the feathers/red eyes etc, but the first time it was an actual scene with other people. idek maybe I'm just slow. - THE MUSIC OH MY GOD - THE DANCINGGGG okay so I cannot claim to have an informed opinion or anything (I took one year of ballet lessons at five or six and gave up because I hated the teacher) but it was pretty beautiful to me. - WHEN SHE LEGIT GOT WINGS ON STAGE - on a similar but more horrible note WHEN HER LEGS TURNED INTO SWAN LEGS AUGH DDDD: - the scratches on her back being a self-harming thing - the fact that she stole Beth's things, like it was like having part of what made Beth great. - THE DIRECTOR CALLED HER 'LITTLE PRINCESS' AT THE END actuals I think that was one of my favourite things about the whole film. Like, she was so sure that was just for Beth, but it wasn't. - WHEN NINA WAS MASTURBATING AND THEN HER MOTHER WAS SLEEPING IN THE ROOM, OH GOD, I THINK THAT WAS ONE OF THE MORE HORRIFYING THINGS TO HAPPEN IN THE WHOLE FILM. - I have all these thoughts about how because she was in such a female-orientated world that it makes sense that she would fantasize about Lily, because, like, the director/male sexuality seems like a threat - to both the swan queen and how invasive male dancers have to be in doing the lifts etc - but the other dancers were mostly female, and she has to compare herself to them in terms of body/talent all the time in her career, and are this weird combination of threat and ally, and then Lily was her direct competition because of her sexuality, so when Nina did eventually give into that side of her, it would make sense that she pictured it happening with the most sexual person she knew. BUT THOSE THOUGHTS ARE MOSTLY HALF-FORMED AND INCOHERENT, AS YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED. APOLOGIES.
OH GOD I HAVE RAMBLED ENOUGH, TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS???
Not being particularly familiar with ballet beyond the year of lessons I took at, like, six, I maybe wasn't the most informed viewer but I do like Natalie Portman (V For Vendetta remains one of my favourites).
Tell me about the issues you had with it? I'm legit interested, I haven't really talked about the film much!
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no subject
Date: 2011-01-21 05:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-21 06:04 pm (UTC)PSYCHOLOGICAL BALLET THRILLER. It is amazing, it completely blew me away.
edit: now with working html!
no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 09:24 pm (UTC)Thanks! ♥
no subject
Date: 2011-01-21 07:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-21 07:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-21 08:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-21 11:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-22 12:37 am (UTC)SPOILERS AFOOT
Date: 2011-01-24 06:39 pm (UTC)- Natalie Portman was like UNBELIEVABLY AMAZING?? I have loved her since I saw V For Vendetta (can't talk about it, crying) and also I'd seen her in Closer before that and been like "SHE IS AWESOME" but she really really impressed me in Black Swan.
- WE INTERRUPT THIS COMMENT TO SAY DAMN GIRL, HOW HOT WAS MILA KUNIS?
- also Natalie Portman, come to that.
- WINONA RYDER, how you doing? Idek why I love her so much but I have done since I was little and I don't even know what it was I must have seen her in at that age. It was probably Edward Scissorhands but I remember her with the black bob not blonde hair? idek idek.
- ACTUAL THOUGHTS ON THE FILM?
- it was creeeeepy. Like, any time there's a shot where a character is in front of a mirror in the bathroom but looks down into the sink and the camera dips down with them it's just like 'noooo pleeeeease doooon't looook UP AUGH AUGH HORROR", so.
- I loved the swan flesh effect - idek what to call it, but when it looked like there were goosebumps sliding under her skin? That was amaze.
- THE WHOLE FINAL DANCE, OH MY GOD. ~swan song.
- The way she couldn't do the white swan properly by the end
- SHE STABBED HERSELF AND THOUGHT SHE'D STABBED MILA KUNIS homg I legit didn't see that coming. I thought it was going to turn out that she'd stabbed her mother.
- I really liked that it wasn't made implicitly clear which things were really happening and which things were just in Nina's head? Like, when she slept with Lily but it didn't happen, and it was the first time it was actually stated that she was an unreliable POV to be following - I mean, obviously with the feathers/red eyes etc, but the first time it was an actual scene with other people. idek maybe I'm just slow.
- THE MUSIC OH MY GOD
- THE DANCINGGGG okay so I cannot claim to have an informed opinion or anything (I took one year of ballet lessons at five or six and gave up because I hated the teacher) but it was pretty beautiful to me.
- WHEN SHE LEGIT GOT WINGS ON STAGE
- on a similar but more horrible note WHEN HER LEGS TURNED INTO SWAN LEGS AUGH DDDD:
- the scratches on her back being a self-harming thing
- the fact that she stole Beth's things, like it was like having part of what made Beth great.
- THE DIRECTOR CALLED HER 'LITTLE PRINCESS' AT THE END actuals I think that was one of my favourite things about the whole film. Like, she was so sure that was just for Beth, but it wasn't.
- WHEN NINA WAS MASTURBATING AND THEN HER MOTHER WAS SLEEPING IN THE ROOM, OH GOD, I THINK THAT WAS ONE OF THE MORE HORRIFYING THINGS TO HAPPEN IN THE WHOLE FILM.
- I have all these thoughts about how because she was in such a female-orientated world that it makes sense that she would fantasize about Lily, because, like, the director/male sexuality seems like a threat - to both the swan queen and how invasive male dancers have to be in doing the lifts etc - but the other dancers were mostly female, and she has to compare herself to them in terms of body/talent all the time in her career, and are this weird combination of threat and ally, and then Lily was her direct competition because of her sexuality, so when Nina did eventually give into that side of her, it would make sense that she pictured it happening with the most sexual person she knew. BUT THOSE THOUGHTS ARE MOSTLY HALF-FORMED AND INCOHERENT, AS YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED. APOLOGIES.
OH GOD I HAVE RAMBLED ENOUGH, TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS???
Re: SPOILERS AFOOT
Date: 2011-01-24 09:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-21 11:16 pm (UTC)It was gripping and NataliePortman did put in a good performance, I'll give it that.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-22 12:45 am (UTC)Tell me about the issues you had with it? I'm legit interested, I haven't really talked about the film much!