1001 Movies Club - Black Swan (2010)

#1084. Black Swan (2010)

Why It's In The Book: "Something of a cinematic opera is achieved by Aronofsky as he marries the screenplay (written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, and John McLaughlin) and the story of the original ballet, written by Tchaikovsky. Benjamin Millepied does a fantastic job of choreographing the film, particularly the opening and closing sequences, which pitch us headfirst into the fever and frenzy of Swan Lake. While lacking the honest inner dialogue of its predecessor and companion piece, The Wrestler (2008), Black Swan's mix of psychological torment and classic horror elements will be sure to haunt you long after the curtains close." -1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Member Ratings

Alyson - 10/10
"I could gush for hours about Black Swan. The movie full of ballet, beauty, blood and madness all rolled into strong feminist ideas was amazing."
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Jaime Grijalba - 10/10
"the best performance of Natalie Portman in her entire career."
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Michaël Parent - 10/10
"From the director of Requiem for A Dream & Pi that I recently discovered, and The Wrestler my best film of 2008, Darren Aronofsky offers his best film to date in his brilliant career: Black Swan."
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Movie Guy Steve - 10/10
"Once again I find that Aronofsky has created a film that is difficult to enjoy or like, but is incredibly easy to respect."
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Adolytsi - 9/10
"The climax sequence where Portman dances the Black Swan is the most fantastic scene in the film, and one that you will definitely remember."
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Chip - 9/10
"You should not avoid the movie Black Swan because you think it will be boring or something you would not be able to follow. It is really a psychological thriller that keeps you guessing about what is actually happening."
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Siochembio - 9/10
"This is my first Aronofsky film, and it seems a very accessible gateway into what I’ve heard is a rather messed-up world."
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Sunny D - 9/10
"I believe a lot of people would use terms like 'provocative' or 'taut' or 'psychologically thrilling' to describe Black Swan, and I don’t dispute any of those but my experience was constantly feeling like the movie was this close to turning into a full-blown horror movie."
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Nicolas Krizan - 8/10
"a visceral and suggestive experience of doppelgängerisms, sex, and insanity"
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Squish - 8/10
"Although I had hoped for more madness, more confusion, more wild metamorphoses, Black Swan drove its point beautifully."
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Kim Wilson - 7.5/10
"I will never again watch Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake without wondering whether the ballerina playing the Swan Queen is certifiably insane. I have Natalie Portman and her Oscar-winning turn in Black Swan (2010) to thank for this. Greatly aided by the deft direction of Darren Aronofsky and an outstanding production design, Portman’s complete metamorphosis into a gifted but mentally unstable ballerina is phenomenal."
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bpdreview - 7/10
"Black Swan is gross and messy, and not all of it works, which is understandable when one considers Aronofsky's ambitions. Yet, it's undeniably powerful and beautiful."
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Brian Vs. Movies - 5/10
"Ballerinas are crazy? I would never have thought that bulimics that do things with their body that nature never intended (look at their feet!) might not be completely sane."
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Overall Rating: 8.6/10