Black Swan (Spoilers inside)

[Rye]

Surprised there is no thread for this yet.

This movie was one of the best I've seen in years. It was a superbly done tragedy which approached the topic of compulsive mental illness better than any other movie I've seen, personally. Hit really close to home with me, having suffered them myself, so I left the theatre shaking.

The ending was predictable, but in a deliciously cyclical way that left me satisfied.

What did you think?

[McLovin']

The intensity built up and up and UP AND FINALLY IT JUST flatlined...

Great movie but you don't ever need to take another look at it. It's a one time watch in my opinion.

there's a difference with how the intesity was built up in Requiem for a Dream. I actually cared after the movie ended and was disturbed. That's what the ending of Black Swan should have replicated, but Natalie Portman's character was psycho so I didn't really care for her. I cared more for Mila Kunis and she didn't even die!

[The Summoner of Leviathan]

Actually it is unclear if she died or not, though I always wondered why no one noticed the ever growing stain of red on white?

I really enjoyed it.

[Shiny]

It's easy to miss some subtle things in this film; especially if you're not paying close attention. It's definitely worth a second watch. I think it has some obvious similarities with The Wrestler, but it was much more dramatic and intense. There are horror elements to the film that I was surprised by, but it was a good kind of surprised. I kinda wanted to bish slap Nina at some parts, but I thought Natalie and the woman who played her mother did a fantastic job.

[Raistlin]

I thought it was entertaining. I was not quite as disturbed as I expected to be with all the hype, but they still did a really good job. I thought some of the first half of the movie felt very rushed, and I would have liked them to take a little more time with development, but that was really my only complaint.

[Dignified Pauper]

I think it's pretty clear that at the end, Nina's not dying, because she's already been proven to be unreliable. It makes sense that the end is probably another hallucination to go along with her morbid obsession of this ballet.

That said, I loved the sound and just how much it related to birds. Turning around fast was wing flaps. Someone approaching often sounded like feathers ruffling. And the artistic direction of so many black/white distinctions, and her transformation into the Black Swan was incredible. I love when in her final pose, her hands are lift up, but you see her shadow and they are wings/

[LunarWeaver]

I liked it a lot. I too enjoyed it having horror movie moments. I expected Lily to either be in her head or a total bitch as well. She wasn't always nice and had some trickery, but she really wasn't a horrible person either. She was a whole lot more evil in Nina's pressured head than in reality.

And speaking of the trailer, I watched it again after watching the movie and realized it's basically a recap of the entire thing. It even has some shots that are the end of the movie. I watched it long before the film and forgot almost all of it, but if you plan on seeing this regardless I vote you skip any trailers. Obviously there are still surprises and such, as noted, but still...

Almost as good as Showgirls :bigsmile:

[charliepanayi]

It's pure melodrama and as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face, but I loved it, especially the last half an hour when it pinwheels out of control. Clint Mansell's score deserves applause too. Definitely not for everyone though (so typical Aaronofsky really).

[Rantz]

Really loved this movie. It was so intense and I was at the edge of my seat for the whole latter half of it.

[Elskidor]

I skipped the thread to avoid spoilers, but I'm thinking about watching it. The trailer doesn't really draw me in, but I love Requiem for a Dream so if it has a feel like that I'd enjoy that.

[Shiny]

All of his movies are intense and melodramatic. Definitely an emotional blender -- not even roller coaster.

[BG-57]

Just saw it. Excellent film. Brought to mind two other excellent movies: May, which is a similar portrait of a mind crumbling into insanity viewed from the inside and The Red Shoes about a dancer enslaved self destructively to her muse.

[Fynn]

It was incredible. Kind of scary, but most of all sad and disturbing. Really makes you think - I love that kind of movies. Also, kind of close to my heart, since - being a music school student - the pressure connected to being perfect at art is something I am familiar with. Loved the realism in the characters.

[spirit]

Good gossip! I come into this thread thinking it might not contain spoilers, just a typical I enjoyed it thread, anyone going to see it, type of deal and there's major spoilers out in the open!

I'm glad that I didn't read any of them full enough to have the movie spoiled for me, I think I'll leave now. I'm a pretty big Portman fan.

[Rantz]

I'll put a note about that in the title. :)

[Laddy]

This is one of my favorite films ever, and I rarely give out such awards. (I'm a suprisingly well-versed film buff, and my favorite films list is probably not what you think.)

It's definitely not subtle, unlike other psychological thrillers, but it's certainly suprising at times, with a lot of elements that are easily debatable with valid points to both sides.

This is more personal philisophical meandering, really. Ignore:
One thing I loved about it is how much I can relate to it. As a performer and perfectionist who pursues a career that's all about what other people think, performing can be stressful and there are times when you become someone you don't quite now. You become entitled when you are typically humble. You become demanding when you are typically minimalist. You become a monster when you are typically a person. It's demanding, it's waning, and it absorbs you and becomes you and you judge yourself based on your status as a performer and not as a person. You become a vessel of something beautiful, but at the cost of your own beauty sometimes.

It's a stirring tale that is aesthetically, musically, and intellectually gorgeous. It's excellent and I heartily and vehemently request anyone who hasn't to view it.

[Pheesh]

I bought the Blu-Ray and it's awesome, but I was so pissed that there's no commentary tracks.