Black Swan: A Thing of Beauty

Quickly, a creative update: I have finally built up the courage to start editing my book again. I'm also learning to crochet.

Okay now that that's out of the way, let me talk about Black Swan, the movie. Holy shit was it good. A pretty and perfect girl pushed toward chaos and release in order to land the role of White Swan/Black Swan in Swan Lake tumbles toward madness. Many of the greatest artists have been viewed as a little - or a lot - crazy, and this movie examines the reason: artistic beauty cannot be produced from great discipline. Artistic beauty is born when raw emotion couples with impulsive expression. Natalie Portman's character learns that strict and rigorous practice has it's rewards, but only by letting herself go can she give a transcendent performance. Art requires the sacrifice of the controlling mind.

So the movie explored a fascinating topic, but it also made sure to stay focused. The editing was tight and I didn't feel distracted by subplots or meandering story lines. In a mere 1 hour and 45 minutes, this movie managed to make a cerebral and visual impact greater than any other movie I have seen in some time (maybe ever? requires further thought). Because yes, the costumes and effects were mesmerizing without stealing the show. Natalie's black feathers and red eyes will stick with me for a long time, without a doubt.

Anyway, I'm still thinking about this movie, several weeks later. I wonder, am I too controlled to create something remarkable? Does art require that I open the great wooden doors in my mind and let the wild and scary and terrible and frightened things out? I don't know. Sounds like it could get ugly.  Why is the crazy so beautiful?