Black Swan

I've seen a lot of films last year, but having to chose only one, I pick Black Swan as the best film for 2010.
Here is why:

Darren Aronofski’s Black Swan is an excellent film.  It explores an intriguing subject matter of madness in a way that is both wildly disturbing and alluringly sexy.   The film is as much of an artistic study of a female subject as it is a picture of the borderline obsessive struggle each young actor, artist, and performer must overcome before becoming a true star.

The film begins with a portrayal of young Nina,
a prima ballerina, who is so caught up in being a perfect dancer that she forgets how to be herself.  Being chosen to dance as the of The Swan in Swan Lake, arguably the most demanding classical ballet, Nina is perfectly casted for the part of the White Swan.  However, she must transform her own perfect image to embrace her sinister side in order to accurately dance the part of the Black Swan.  The challenge of this transformation is the central premise of the film.

Natalie Portman embodies Nina with painstaking precision of conflicting emotions involved in efforts to please others while reconciling inner urges.  In an attempt to exercise self control, Nina plays into the unrealistic expectations of others. Despite her herculean efforts to  please both her mother and her mentor, Nina tries to act like a mature dedicated dancer and an innocent devoted daughter.   Feeling manipulated from every direction, Nina struggles with her internal inability to let go.  Eventually, her ego takes over and she chooses career over her family obligations. Timid at first, Nina overcomes her insecurities by giving in to the suppressed desire for greatness, which manifests outward through hallucinations of grotesque bodily transformations and internal madness.  

As her ego grows, Nina begins to recognize the human imperfections of everyone around and finally allows herself to surrender to the dark force of her own double in order to become a star.  Once the idea of having a double enters her mind, it possesses her and slowly kills the controlling virginal being that dwells inside. 

Guided by her internal voice, Nina discovers her sexuality and turns wicked.  Seduced by the pleasure of her own feminine force, she spins out of control on stage in an avalanche of emotions, and stabs her own innocence during the intermission.  In the end, it is up to the audience to decide whether Nina kills herself or just commits murder upon her own purity.  Either way, without this sacrifice, she could not reign on stage as both the good and evil swan queen in Tchaikovski's ballet. 

Shot by Matthew Libatique, Black Swan is intentionally underlit, giving in to the darkness of Nina's psyche as it progresses.  Aronofsky transports his audience into the metamorphic dance of mind and body, as Nina gives herself over to the black swan.  Through a mind altering journey of confusion, reality blurs with the depth of Nina's transformation.  Aronofski accentuates Nika's internal through carefully chosen frames and subtle clues, including widescreen manipulation techniques. One memorable shot involves the merging of Lily and Nina via mirror reflections. Nina's image is frequently altered peripherally in a way that is visually disturbing. 

Natalie Portman is deserving of an Oscar for her genuine portrayal of Nina’s metamorphoses. Her face conveys Nina's internal struggle with clarity and depth few actors can master. Putting her body through rigid training for this role, Portman gets on point for the opening prologue and at the end of the film, before she jumps.  Being able to get on point after quitting ballet at 13 is no easy task and a testament to her physical transformation for this role.  The film has an international cast that serves a good support and background setting for Nina's character.  Kunis' sexy and light supporting lead is noteworthy and deserving of an award. Vincent Cassel is also remarkable in the role of the tyrannic Thomas Leroy.

Black Swam could be interpreted a tale of metamorphosis most females go though when they cross the line between being a virgin towards becoming a sensual creature capable of seduction.  However, it is not that simple.  Rather, it is a metaphor for becoming great. Aronofski seems to suggest that, in order to shine, a star must first give up her innocence and cross over to the dark side.  This idea seems to go hand in hand with his earlier cinematographic explorations of madness in pursuit of a goal.  For example, Nina's self destruction seems to run parallel to the madness that overcomes Aronofsky's earlier lead caractrs in Pi (1998), The Fountain (2007), and The Wrestler (2008). True to his tradition of getting inside the head of his characters, Aronofski transports the audience into Nina's splitting mind, making us suffer every twist and turn of her transformation along the way.

Ultimately frightening, Black Swan messes with the mind of the audience the way a true thriller should.  Fortunately,  the unnerving effects wear off after a few hours, leaving one with the pure satisfaction from a film very well done.