Black Swan DVD Review
Black Swan DVD Review
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Natalie Portman, Barbara Hershey, Mila Kunis
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A masterpiece of both excess and discipline, Black Swan’s duplicitous tones dovetail beautifully and scarily with its concurrent themes of duality and individuality. Natalie Portman packs punch (and a plié or two) into her bravura performance as Nina, a ballerina who strives to portray both Black and White in a high profile, high stakes production of “Swan Lake”. As Nina’s sanity begins to slip, so too does the viewer’s belief in this classic unreliable narrator. Directed with assured verve by the always-amazing Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan is certainly an instant classic (and there we go again, with the duality – how can something instant be classic? How can light be dark, and how can strength be weakness? The answer is already in the question.)
And speaking of questions, when I first saw Black Swan at an early press screening, I knew I loved it but wondered how the mainstream would react. I was surprised (and also a little dismayed) that it was so universally embraced. In a way, it’s cool to be the only one who “gets it”; then again, it’s assuring to know you’re not crazy. But Nina sure the hell is… Cuckoo Lake might be more like it! No stranger to showing the inner disintegration of a human being (he directed Requiem For A Dream a decade before this) through visual means, Aronofsky gives us a horror tour de force while doing drama. I shan’t rehash my review of the film, but if you haven’t read it, here it is.
The DVD offers up fewer extras than a true fan might like, but what’s there isn’t exactly feather light. A four-part behind the scenes featurette focuses on preproduction, shooting, special effects, and the acting. It's pretty fascinating to see how it was all put together, especially the painstaking digital painting (interesting, but also bubble-bursting). A director's commentary would have been great, but the way the studios tend to release multiple versions of DVDs over time there is no doubt one exists and we'll hear it at some point.
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson