Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky, 2011)

Overblown, melodramatic, absurd. All of these words can be aptly applied to Black Swan, and I mean them all as compliments.

Darren Aronofsky is a director obsessed with obsession. In ‘Pi’ he looked at an obsession with numbers, in ‘Requiem for a Dream’ the obsession was drugs, in ‘The Fountain’ it was the denial of death. His last work, ‘The Wrester’ was about an obsession with one’s work and body and Black Swan serves as an intentional and interesting companion piece. It is a stylish study of a dancer’s obsession to produce perfection and to ultimately become perfect. This is, of course, an impossible task, and her unrelenting hard work to achieve this goal leads her to some very dark areas of the psyche.

I am no dance expert, and I must admit the one ballet I have seen hardly set my soul alight, but thanks to the expert direction and editing in this film, I understood the power, emotion and physical precision that must go into creating a ballet. Aronofsky made the wise decision to make heavy use of Tchaikovsky’s original score which, when mixed with the stylish lighting and intoxicating melodrama, comes closer to catching the frenzy and energy of theatre than any other film I have seen.

Natalie Portman quite rightfully won a Golden Globe for her passionate and incredibly physical performance as Nina; she is a woman who is consumed with her work, largely thanks to her creepy, possessive mother who seems determined to live out her own dance fantasy through her daughter. She obsessively paints portraits of her and tucks her into her bed in a bedroom that can’t have changed since Nina was 12. Nina has led a sheltered life which makes it hard for her to channel the emotional core needed to take on the difficult role of the Black Swan, a dark twisted character key to the Ballet.

Nina is advised by the choreographer, played brilliantly by Vincent Cassel, to lose herself in order to become the Black Swan on stage, and this leads Nina into a series of sexual and violent events. Aronofsky mixes fantasy with horror in these sequences to ensure that there is never a dull moment. Eventually the fantasy elements of the film overtake the realism; the ambiguity of this is played on to such an extent that the film literally becomes wild. It looses all restraint and only a director as brave and talented as Aronofsky could handle it. What could have been a potential disaster is a near masterpiece.

Verdict

Scary, absorbing and consuming, the film affects the audience almost to the extent that the Black Swan affects Nina. See it at the cinema for a truly theatrical experience.

****1/2

Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance, 2010)

The end of a relationship is never easy, never mutual and never forgettable. Blue Valentine, a powerful, raw and all real examination into the making and breaking of a marriage makes this explicitly clear.

The always excellent Ryan Gosling and Michele Williams deliver startling realistic performances throughout the films duration showing what it’s like to be in and out of love with one another. The film is similar in structure, though far less optimistic, than 500 Days of Summer as it flashes back and forth between the beginning and the end of the characters relationship.

It’s a film that divided the audience that I sat in, half the cinema was bored, no doubt due to the gentle pacing and bleak tone, the other half where the ones that remained in the cinema whilst the credits rolled feeling as broken as the characters on screen. Make no doubt about it; Blue Valentine is not an easy ride, nor overtly entertaining. What you get is a startlingly honest look at how individuals can make life heaven or hell for each other.

Complaints have been made that the film never makes it clear why the couple’s marriage is breaking down, but that’s because the characters aren’t sure themselves. Their fractures are seen through their body language, their abject sexual chemistry and eventually their harsh unforgiving dialogue. The films flashbacks provide relief, a few laughs and some warming romance, but eventually these flashbacks are heartbreaking to watch as the audience realises how naive the couple are to where they are heading.

Verdict

If 127 hours was a transcendent film in that it made you feel the pain of losing an arm, this film makes you feel the pain of losing a partner. It is a hard film to recommend for a good night out, but one worth watching for two of the most honest and open performances in a decade.

****

127 Hours (Danny Boyle, 2011)

Between a rock and a hard place is Aron Ralston, protagonist of Danny Boyle’s self proclaimed ‘action movie in which the hero doesn’t move.’ James Franco plays Ralston who, whilst adventuring, gets trapped in a canyon by a fallen rock. 127 hours later, he cuts his own arm off to get free. It’s a brave and simple premise, and kudos to Boyle who adds yet another original and un-classifiable piece to his wildly varied filmography.

It is a strange film, devoid of any true narrative tension but full of anticipation. The ending is true catharsis, an overwhelming and moving experience; one of the most powerful 15 minutes of cinema I have witnessed. However the journey there seems to lack something.

I have seen three films set in tight spaces over the last few months. Devil which is set almost completely in a lift and is a simple and medley enjoyable b-movie. Buried which was a superior and claustrophobic thriller, and now this. 127 hours is an amazing true story and a cinematic experience but is a little too tricksy for its own good.

The film cannot be reviewed without commenting on James Franco’s performance which is nothing short of astonishing. He shows Ralston’s fear without resorting to hysterics and anguish without invoking melodrama. It is naturalistic and truly involving. The film beings with a self assured Ralston driving to Blue John canyon, and he appears to be little more than an adrenaline junky fixated with Jack-Ass style stunts. However, once he is stuck, and his thoughts flitter between his mother whom he has abandoned and an ex-lover who he neglected we see some honest, raw and heartbreaking humanity.

However good Franco is, 127 hours is Boyle’s show and he doesn’t let the audience forget it. Unlike Buried, which kept the audience in a coffin for 80 taught minutes, Boyle flicks between flashbacks and wild flights of fantasy. The camera is never still and the shooting style constantly changes. At one point Ralston is the star and host of his own chat show, and then later he fantasises about his past intimacies in a steamy, stylised sequence. Boyle makes the camera the biggest character, often using close-ups and a shaky handheld approach that puts the audience right there. Whilst it is enjoyable, it detracts from the feeling of being stuck and taints a good proportion of the film.

However, it is arguable needed, as 127 hours isn’t merely the amount of time Ralston was down there, it is the amount of time it took him to finally accept what he had to do. As the camera shows us Ralston’s regrets and future fantasies, the need for his escape seems greater, he is no longer an adrenaline junky but a son, and a friend. He is someone who has something to live for, and he makes the ultimate sacrifice to regain his life.

Boyle thankfully shortens Ralston’s self amputation from the actual 49 minutes it took him to 3 and a half, but be warned, you’ll feel his pain. Franco’s excellent acting and the winch inducing sound effects makes it appear that you see more than you actually do but it is a truly visceral experience. Much has been made of audience members fainting and I believe that is because Boyle has made an almost transcendent sequence, in which the audience share his pain and his eventual relief. Don’t look away because the rewards are rich. As Ralstone leaves his rocky prison, you will be moved.

Verdict

This is a life affirming, powerful and moving experience which makes up for its flaws through an awesome and truly affecting ending.

****