Group30: Black Swan.

Few weeks ago, I watched a fantastic psychological thriller called "Black Swan'. It is a story of Nina (Portman), a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, in completely consumed with dance. She lives with her retired ballerina mother Erica (Hershey) who jealously supports her daughter's processional ambition. When artistic director Thomas Leroy ( Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth Macintyre (Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis) who impresses Leroy as well. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly, but Lily is the personification f the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with recklessness that threatens to destroy her.
I did not expect to see what I saw.
A film about the ballerina? This does not sound especially appetizing. A psychological thriller about a ballerina? Movie with an elements of a horror? It's getting interesting. If we swap ballerina with dedication, which requires the highest art, or growing up, discovering the repressed sexuality, the extraction of secure world of childhood we will get fantastic image. The scenes preparations for the Swan Lake premieres, including ballet imagery used in black and white, have alloweda director to find a visual representation of the psychological darkness, and hence the form thriller-horror films.

This movie is full of contrast: innocence and evil. It constains lots of promiscuous scenes. The audience can see split personalisty of the Beauty. The suspance is really high, becuase audience through whole movie ask themselve " which Nina is true , realistic ? "

The opening sequence starts with Nina is on the stage. When she begins to move, camera starts to focus on her feet. The moment of suspense appear when the man in black costumes comes to her. The music change into more dynamic, harder and dramatic. Camera goes all around her as well as lighting. The suddenly, the man disappear and Nina is alone on the stage again. The camera slowly movie back while the screen fade out and then we see Nina in the bed.

Things which I love the most in the movie are the camera. There is lots of use of handheld camera to create a feeling of chaos and distraction.

Also camera is like a pathway. It take the audience from home to the dance studio and then from the theatre to home. It creates a sense of watching and being in her live from the morning till the last night. This feeling of 'followers' is emphasizing through the camera, when we see Nina's back as she is walking.

The next fantastic point is use of mirror. Mirrors are the essential props. Dancers needs and use mirrors to watch themselves and correct during classes, but as Nina starts to losing herself, the mirrors are use to show her dark side, the Black Swan.

The dance is fantastic, filmed in every detail. I love the shot when Nina dances in her room. There is a close up on her feet in the slow motion. For me, it works perfectly.