BLACK SWAN

I must admit that I had some reservations about seeing this movie.  After all, it was directed by Darren Aronofsky, who also directed THE WRESTLER, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, and that completely bizarre PI,  three very depressing films.  I don't like movies about miserable people and their miserable lives, but I heard a lot of good things about BLACK SWAN, so I checked it out.  I've never been to a ballet, nor have I ever stopped on ballet while channel surfing, but the few movies I've seen about ballet I really liked (WHITE KNIGHTS, THE TURNING POINT).  And BLACK SWAN was no exception.  A common thread present in the three of these ballet-themed movies is intense competition and enormous pressure on the dancers.  Here, both are in full force.    An aging prima ballerina in a prestigious ballet company is being forced into retirement and the company's ego-centric director, Thomas, is looking for a suitable replacement to star in their season-opening performance of "Swan Lake."  Rabidly pushed by her former dancer mother ("I gave it up to have you"), Nina is one of the most promising up-and-coming young ballerinas.  She's the logical choice for the lead role, but Thomas plays with her mind, pushing her to her physical and psychological limit before she can be formally named the ballet's star.  On the brink mental collapse from the pressure put on her by Thomas, Nina's domineering mother, as well as the intense competition from Lily (Nina's nemesis and the only girl that could take the part of the Swan Princess away) Nina is sucked into a vortex of paranoia, psycho-sexual fantasies, and self mutilation.  It can only be a matter of time before she self-destructs, but can she stay outside the edge of insanity long enough to give the performance of her life?  My only problem with this movie is that it took a long time to get going. More than an hour into it, I was thinking, "C'mon. Lets get going here." But when it did get going -- WHOA! Quite a few "holy s***" moments as well as a couple of times you might want to look away or cover your eyes.  Definitely not for the squeamish.  And all this from a BALLET movie??  This is an example of a psychological thriller in its finest form.