Black Swan

Last weekend, I went to the cinema to see the film Black Swan. I'd seen the trailer so many times and thought it looked fantastic. I was really worried that the film could not possibly live up to all the hype it had gotten, but I was not disappointed! Right from the opening shot, you can tell it's going to be a fantastic film. It opens with Natalie Portman (Or her stunt double, I couldn't be sure) dancing ballet on a dimly lit stage. The routine is so complex and perfectly performed, you cannot take your eyes off the screen. For the majority of the film, a hand-held camera technique is used, adding to the creepy, tense atmosphere as it looks like someone is constantly watching or following the main character. It causes the audience to feel extremely uncertain about what will happen. I had butterflies in my stomach the whole way through it. Also, I didn't realise there would be such a psychological element to it, which only made it better for me as I particularly enjoy films with that kind of edge. There are some really freaky moments in the film, which made me jump out of my seat. It's like nothing I've seen before and it's difficult to compare it to any other film. On top of that, the special effects they used blew me away. The director is Darren Aronofsky who also directed 'Requiem for a Dream', one of my favourite films ever made. Now I have another one of his films to add to my list. Black Swan is brilliant. I'm buying it as soon as it's out on DVD. It's a must-see.
This has made me think that a genre like this would be amazing fun to film, but probably very difficult to succeed with.