December 22, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 21 A dark look at the world of ballet in ‘Black Swan’ by Dennis Seuling Few films have been made about the world of professional ballet and the performers who inhabit it. “The Red Shoes” (1948) and “The Turning Point” (1977) are among the most successful at using ballet as a colorful backdrop for showcasing the trials, tribulations, insecurities, passions, and jealousies of the dancers. “Black Swan” joins this elite group. Natalie Portman plays Nina Sayers, a member of the corps of a New York ballet company that is staging a new, elaborate production of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.” Nina strives for technical perfection and appears to devote her entire life to her career. She lives with her mother (Barbara Hershey), a former ballet dancer who gave up her career to raise Nina. This devoted dancer has no boyfriend, no friends, and no interests other than working hard to be the best she can be. Nina desperately wants the dual role of Swan Queen/Black Swan in the new production. The company’s artistic director, Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel), has no doubt Nina can handle the Swan Queen part effortlessly, but wonders if she can muster the passion necessary to be convincing as the Black Swan. Director Darren Aronofsky has fashioned an operatic tour de force in “Black Swan.” With beautiful cinematography, the movie captures the tough regimen dancers must adhere to in order to be at their peak, and tells a tale of paranoia, competition, and repression in grand style. Aronofsky also accomplishes what few directors have. He incorporates an element of horror into a straight drama. Along with the beauty of the ballet, viewers see the toll it takes on Nina. Many images are geared to make audiences squirm. But rather than being exploitative, these images clarify what goes on in the repressed mind of Nina, who is under enormous pressure from Leroy to summon the passion he wants for the mesmerizing Black Swan. Aronofsky’s editing and use of hand-held cameras frequently blur the line between what Nina is experiencing and what she is imagining. This keeps the audience engaged, drawing viewers further into the film. Portman’s appearance is striking. Frighteningly thin, long necked, and possessed of an airy gracefulness, she is instantly believable as a professional ballet dancer. Rather than using a stand-in for the dance sequences, showing only Portman’s upper body, or cutting to long shots for the tough moves, Aronofsky lets viewers see that his star is actually dancing, and dancing very well. With little dialogue and most of her emotion conveyed through her facial expression, Portman projects insecurity that gives way to paranoia that transforms into being unhinged without histrionics. Her balanced performance anchors the movie, creates empathy, and emits an ominous foreshadowing. This is easily one of her finest screen performances. Lily (Mila Kunis), Nina’s understudy newly arrived from San Francisco, serves two purposes. Her open personality, friendliness, earthiness, and ability to separate work from private life provide a distinct contrast to the tightly wound Nina. Lily also presents a threat to Nina. In the ages-old Natalie Portman stars as troubled prima ballerina Nina Sayers in ‘Black Swan.’ tradition of show business, the understudy can shine only when the star doesn’t go on. Hershey is a cross between the crazed mother in “Carrie” and Mama Rose from “Gypsy.” Having been in the business, she knows its demands, supports and drives her daughter, and lives vicariously through her career and achievements -- achievements she never had because her career was cut short. Just as Nina focuses unconditionally on her craft, her mother makes Nina the principal concern of her own life. Her often smothering attention contributes (continued on Crossword page) 25 N. 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