Black Swan (Review)
Michael Scott
The Pyschological-Horror genre may very well be too poorly defined to even be considered a genre. Nearly all aspects of a psychological-horror films fit under the more accurate and flexible umbrella of "Thriller" movies. Not quite a true horror movie with an antagonist real or otherwise, and not quite an art film, purely concerned with thematic impact and presentation.
The problem with 2010's critical sweetheart Black Swan may very well be subjective. What the film is trying to say is dependent heavily on the viewer's read of the picture, and not so much the concrete details, of which, (especially during the second and third acts) which are intentionally obtuse and incoherent.
Worst Animorph movie, ever.
Whether the film is a statement on the mentally ill and the pressure of an overbearing parent, a call to action for women in competitive fields to support, instead of sabotage one another, or simply and excuse to get more lesbian fun into the oscars is beyond me.
In all honesty it could be any one of these, or a combination of the three.
The problem with Black Swan is one of identity, or at least, that's my read. The film doesn't know what it wants to be, scary, feminist, realistic, tragic, inspirational. The abuse of the Swan musical theme is strange due to the setting, but it just goes to show, just because you have a motif, doesn't mean you should hammer that nail incessantly. The audience gets it and if you respect them, you won't have to cram it down their throats.
The main advantage it has over the far inferior, but thematically similar film, The Neon Demon, is the dialogue. With nearly identical settings, and both making liberal use of body horror to illustrate the mental break of the main character. And Neon Demon's visuals put Black Swan's to shame.
My descent into madness is paved with pretty blondes.
Technically speaking, the film is more or less flawless, and I use that word to mean "Without error" not to mean "Perfect". Nothing Black Swan does is against the rules or offbeat. It has acceptable dialogue, good acting, and is edited well. The cinematography is pretty plain and the colorization isn't anything special. It walks like an art movie, but doesn't talk like one.
But that's just it. It's without error, but also without bite. To mirror what was said in the film by the director character, the film knows how to be "good" but doesn't know how to impress. It hits all the right notes but still sounds flat.
BAM (Not from the movie)
To be clear, Black Swan is not a bad movie. It's just not my cup of tea. It's worth a watch, but don't expect a message or something concrete out of it. Its more of a ride, than a story.