One of the main purposes of Chimesfreedom is to write about things we enjoy and to spread the word about good movies and music and their connections to our history. I do not want to waste time writing about things that are not enjoyable. But because Black Swan is getting such raves from most critics, it seems worthwhile to sound a brief dissent. Yes, there are positive aspects of the film, such as that Natalie Portman does an excellent job in the ballet scenes. And maybe we are not the target audience for this film or maybe our expectations were too high because of the positive reviews. You may love the film . . . but how do we keep our general positive spin while still sounding a warning that some may not enjoy Black Swan ? Here’s our attempt.
Review of Black Swan: If you: (1) like movies with cutting, blood, and disturbing scenes; (2) think that a one-note performance of looking confused all of the time is great acting; and (3) enjoy predictable stories that feature caricatures instead of portrayals of real human beings. . . you will love Black Swan.
End of review.