Vairety’s review of “Black Swan”

SPOILER ALERT: For anyone who does not want to know about Black Swan in advance of its opening, don’t read further.

First review is in here [subscription required]. And it’s a strong one:

A wicked, sexy and ultimately devastating study of a young dancer’s all-consuming ambition, “Black Swan” serves as a fascinating complement to Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler,” trading the grungy world of a broken-down fighter for the more upscale but no less brutal sphere of professional ballet. Centerstage stands Natalie Portman, whose courageous turn lays bare the myriad insecurities genuinely dedicated performers face when testing their limits, revealing shades of the actress never before seen on film. As with “The Wrestler,” Fox Searchlight faces formidable marketing challenges, likely exploiting the psychosexual thriller’s racier elements to eke out a similarly modest score.

Major thumbs up in terms of the story and performances. Note the concern about potential revenues because it has the same question that plagued Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and is a marketing exec’s nightmare: 

What is it?

In other words, how do they sell the movie? As we noted here:

Plot synopsis: “A thriller that hones in on the relationship between a veteran ballet dancer and a rival.” In other words, straight out of “The [blank] from hell” movie story type.

Here’s the trailer:

That very marketable high concept “The [blank] from hell” doesn’t even enter the trailer’s narrative until the 1:10 mark. Before that there’s:

* Dysfunctional mother-daughter relaitonship

* Psychosexual dynamic with ballet teacher

* Self-mutilation

Again — what is it?

But that’s one of the things that makes Aronofsky who he is, isn’t it, defying conventions? Coming off the success of The Wrestler, let’s hope the movie is as good as Variety says it is and it finds a big audience.

Takeaway: If your name is “Aronofsky,” you can write movies like this. A wiser approach for aspiring screenwriters is to pick a strong story concept about which you are passionate that is in one of the main genres Hollywood traffics in: Action, Horror, Comedy, Thriller, Sci-Fi. Movies are so much about marketing nowadays. Straight genre stories are thought to be more commercially viable.

UPDATE: In comments, Eve Montana rightly notes that Aronofsky didn’t write Black Swan. The writing credits per IMDB are: screenplay by Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz, story by Andres Heinz.

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