Black Swan (2010)

Stay with me here.
I know I haven’t even gotten started, but hey, sit back down and stay with me.

Some of my favorite movies have been ones I watch completely on impulse. Going in totally blind. I didn’t know diddly. Now that’s my favorite reason to subject — uh, show — friends Black Swan;
Louder for the folks in the back:
If nobody knows what they’re getting into, ain’t nobody KNOWS what they’re getting INTO.

Black Swan isn’t written flawlessly or immune to scrutiny. However, the entire execution is meritable. Pacing, acting, cinematography, set design, costume, and the incredibly evocative re-interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake score (by Clint Mansell) all work like organs in a body to bring Black Swan to life.

An incredibly anxious and paranoid life, but nothing a little nap won’t fix, right?

Stay with me. Stay with Black Swan, hear it out. I know I wind up watching it at least once a year — usually to watch new friends process it. It’s almost a crime to find it in the bargain checkout lane.