Black Swan (2010)
After watching The Red Shoes, I felt inclined to see this again. Which have been unfair as I now clearly think The Red Shoes is the better film, and the experience with Black Swan is a little bit lessened now that I know how it develops into the surreal in the end. That was mind-blowing the first time I saw it, but on rewatch it becomes less about tension and surprise, and more about appreciating the craft behind the film.
Now I was more focused on the stellar performances by especially Portman and Cassel. Their dynamic is really interesting, same but different from Vicky and Boris. There is similar elements of control and possession, but Nina is more a victim of her ambitions than Vicky was. Nina never gets an alternative for becoming literally one with her art, she just goes in ever deeper.
Black Swan wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for The Red Shoes and even though that resonates with me more now, I think it was better for me to have seen Black Swan first so many years ago. The artistic expression and blend of reality and symbolic images had a greater impact then because I wasn’t accustomed to that at the time, but given Black Swan is still a very accessible engaging film it didn’t threw me off, which I think The Red Shoes would have done.
Rating: 4