Black Swan

I am trying to figure out what I thought of Black Swan, which I saw last night. Directed by Darren Aranofsky, it stars Natalie Portman who is in every scene.

Black Swan is about a sweet, highly disciplined, but emotionally stunted ballet dancer, a soloist in (presumably) ABT who is performing in Swan Lake (which I hate to say I've never seen). It is an odd, haunting, and confusing psychological thriller that explores the dancer's coming of age and coming to artistry.

Interestingly, her repressed sexuality takes center stage, and her growth as an artist hinges on owning her sexuality -- a feat which also involves an intense struggle for autonomy with her domineering and creepy mother (played brilliantly and scarily by Barbara Hershey). These themes were drawn very broadly, and if it wasn't so interestingly and masterfully filmed it would have felt cartoonish.

Black Swan is also a horror film dealing with inner demons in a stunningly, frighteningly, visceral way. The dancer's body cannot be trusted -- hideousness lies beneath.

I was riveted by Natalie Portman's performance, but I also felt something was missing. Her delicate face registered a large handful of emotions, but I'm not sure there was a there there. On the other hand, that is kind of a crucial feature of the character -- she is so effaced by her own discipline and fear of power...

I guess I liked the movie; I feel kind of confused and unsure, though, of what I really thought. Part of me feels a need to be able to say what it is "about". I think that the heart of the story is about female competition and its viciousness; the price of victory: devastatingly high.