“Ode to a Ballerina”

BLACK SWAN is a psychological thriller about the world of ballet, an art form that has been around since 1581 and is probably not everyone’s cup of tea.

However, if you admire beauty in any form, would you prefer green or pekoe, plain or cream and sugar with yours?

Directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder, it is about one ballerina’s desire to dance the lead in a bold new production of “Swan Lake” and her pursuit of perfection in order to obtain the role.

Nina Sayers is a young ballerina whose technique is flawless, and as she tells her mother on the morning of the first day of rehearsal at the beginning of a new season, “He promised to feature me more this season.”

She is talking about Thomas Leroy, the director of the company, and he wants to open the season with a production of “Swan Lake” in which the star ballerina will dance both the roles of the white Swan Queen and the Black Swan.

Thomas tells Nina that if he was only casting the White Swan, the role would be hers, but a private encounter in his office with Nina convinces him to take a chance and cast Nina as the star of the production.

Black Swan MovieCan she handle the pressure?

Can she ignore the jealousy of the other dancers?

Can she measure up to the director’s expectations?

Now, naturally there are up-and-coming dancers involved, as well as other dancers who are past their prime, including Nina’s own mother, who gave up her promising career as a ballerina in order to have Nina.

And in a nod to the mythology of “Swan Lake” itself, the audience is forced to ask is the story real or is it surreal? However, in the case of the finished production, the surrealism works. And the music is not so bad, either.

Keep in mind that there is already a great deal of Oscar buzz about this wondrous and glorious film about a wondrous and glorious art form.

BLACK SWAN is a mythical ode to a ballerina which shows that being obsessed with the pursuit of perfection can lead to tragic results, and to paraphrase the words of Keats, “That is all you know and all you need to know.”

I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”