A year ago, I could not have conceived being in the same room as A-list talents like I was last night. Of course I knew that at the screening of Black Swan I'd be in the company of Darren Aronofsky, Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassell, and Barbara Hershey, but I didn't imagine the feeling I would have being nearly 10 feet away from them. 

Black Swan, a movie about ballerina Nina's transformation from white swan to black swan is essentially a movie version of the famous "Swan Lake". You'll be interested to know that originally Aronofsky planned to title the movie Swan Lake, only the studio execs preferred Black Swan instead. 

The movie is centered around Nina, a ballerina who has just earned the Queen Swan role and who struggles mentally and emotionally to play the duplicitous roles. As a white swan, Nina has the part down, but when it comes to unleashing herself and becoming the seductive black swan, she is forced to destroy herself to reach that dark zenith.

The Q&A session was obviously my favorite. In the session learned:

• Mila and Natalie did not rehearse together at all before shooting (not even for the steamy sex scene)
• They shot for 40 days
• Mila and Natalie attended ballet school 5 hours a day each (Natalie for a year, Mila for 4 months)
• Barbara Hershey was urged to write letters to Nina as her mother to help get into character (when Natalie needed inspiration, Aronofsky encouraged her to read these letters)
• Subway scenes were shot with the Canon 7D, and no they didn't have a permit
• No CGI was used for special effects

Looking directly at the group, I knew I had to ask a question, even if my heart was beating 100 miles a minute. I raised my hand (more like waved it in the air) until the orator called on "the very excited girl there waving her hand". I said "This question is for Natalie, how dark was this role for you to play and did you undergo much of an emotional change as you played this character?" And with all the tact and refinement that you would expect from her, she answered that (paraphrase) yes, the role was dark and though she usually leaves her character before she leaves a set, that the schedule and arduous dance routines left her depleted with no time to enjoy during those 40 days. No giggling in between takes, she said, to which Aronofsky said "I'm sorry."

The uniformity of ballet, by nature, is compulsive and ritual-like making for a believable atmosphere where a ballerina might be haunted by the aspiration of being perfect. Terrifying, yet beautiful and left open for interpretation in many ways, this movie wins the battle of achieving intrigue and awe. It seems some things really can be black and white.


(Thanks Film Independent)