One of the more absurd bits of praise for "Black Swan" is that
it compares well to Roman Polanski’s "Repulsion" (for examples, see here and here).
While both "Black Swan" and "Repulsion" concern a woman with a crumbling mind, and while
both films have cinematography that effectively conveys anxiety, Aronofsky cheapens
psychology, as well as art, by having protagonist Nina Sayers kill herself in
the pursuit of her dream as a lead ballerina in Tchaikovsky’s "Swan Lake." Polanski,
a survivor of the Holocaust, doesn’t confuse nightmares with the pursuit of dreams.
On a more obvious level, Aronofsky isn’t subtle or tasteful like
Polanski. He doesn’t trust his audience’s intelligence like Polanski, who used a
seemingly innocent family picture to suggest sexual abuse in "Repulsion." But
that by itself doesn't allow one to understand the artistic distance between
the two directors. Because there is no subtlety in "Black Swan" (right down to
its superficial connection to Tchaikovsky’s "Swan Lake"), we must look at
something in the film that approaches Repulsion stylistically: the use of
visual effects.
A comparison of visual effects reveals Aronofsky as a hack
and Polanski as a genius. Aronofsky primarily uses visual effects to illustrate
Nina Sayers’ transformation into an artist, even though her transformation is
preposterous from a conceptual standpoint. People don't quickly become artists
through masturbation, drinking, and lesbianism (though I support all three
activities in their proper places). Her transformation is also silly from a
visual standpoint. We see Sayers morph into a black swan gradually with effects
that recall David Cronenberg’s "The Fly." However, the similarity with Cronenberg
ends there. Aronofsky’s effects are only there as a road map for the audience –
you know, in case we’re too dumb to “get it.” This condescending approach
culminates when Sayers, on stage during her great final performance, becomes a
glossy black swan. This effect has little power besides awkwardness. One gets
none of the dread that Cronenberg elicits with the final stage of Jeff
Goldblum’s transformation in "The Fly," and wonder isn't at play, either, given
that the effect is obviously an effect. In this way, Aronofosky is no better
than George Lucas or James Cameron. In contrast, Polanski primarily uses visual
effects in "Repulsion" to illustrate the mental deterioration of his protagonist.
His effects show us what his protagonist thinks she is seeing: cracks in the
walls (multiplying over time) and hands reaching out of walls to fondle her. Polanski
didn't have Aronofsky’s budget, but his simplicity is effective and doesn't assume
anything about the audience.
To be fair, Aronofsky attempts to show us what Sayers thinks
she is seeing in "Black Swan." But whereas Polanski is honest and clear about his
protagonist’s hallucinations, Aronofsky reveals Sayers’ self-destruction in a
clichéd plot twist. Neither you nor Sayers really knows what’s happening until
she realizes she is killing herself rather than murdering someone for gain. This
sudden awareness is a cheap twist that appeared in "Fight Club," "Secret Window,"
"High Tension," and "The Machinist," to name a few recent examples. Ironically,
Aronofsky was more straightforward with "The Fountain," a film with three interlocking
stories.
If the ending of "Black Swan" is uninspired due to a
conventional plot twist, the overall content of "Black Swan" is monotonous due to
Aronofsky’s previous film, "The Wrestler." The protagonists of both films are
obsessive artists who end up dying for their art (some would say "The Wrestler’s"
ending is ambiguous, but in reality it’s tasteful rather than vague). The
difference between the two films lies in their levels of futility. At least
Mickey Rourke’s Robin Ramzinski bonds with his fellow wrestlers and appears to
have fun wrestling. Natalie Portman’s Nina Sayers doesn't even seem to enjoy
ballet. She's been in the ballet company longer than anyone (according to her
mother), yet she has virtually no friends or support. She is abused and hurt in
almost every situation. Her most pleasurable moment, the lesbianism scene, is
revealed to be a fantasy. It's almost as if Aronofsky takes the emotional
heaviness of "The Wrestler" and attempts to satirize it in the style of Martin
Scorsese’s "After Hours." Indeed, I found it hard not to laugh during some scenes
because Sayers rarely catches a break.
Is exploitation what Aronofsky wanted? You get the sense he
wanted to say something more profound, but Nina Sayers is no Jesus Christ or
Santiago. Her sensationalized plight illustrates nothing meaningful about the
human condition. Sayers has her heart set on the lead role in "Swan Lake," but unlike Tchaikovsky’s original
ballet, Aronofsky’s version isn't ultimately concerned with eternal love;
"Black Swan" is concerned with death by art. Is this the same director who warned
us about drug addiction in "Requiem for a Dream" and explored the intellectual
and emotional sides of mourning in "The Fountain"? With "Black Swan," Aronofsky
demonstrates that he has, if anything, become a more immature filmmaker.
All the same, "Black Swan" gives one the impression that Aronofsky
thinks of himself as a master. His reactionary words to critic Armond White - who dared to write a negative review of "Black Swan"! - at
the 2011 New York Film Critics Awards are more evidence of his sense of
entitlement (see here). Despite his pride,
Aronofsky wants our approval, but he couldn’t wait for the real thing. When the
screen goes white in "Black Swan," you can still hear the applause of Sayers’
audience as the words “Directed by Darren Aronofsky” appear.
Yep, he’s faking it.
