"Black Swan"

"The only person standing in your way is you..."

I am all too familiar with this concept, unfortunately. Very often, I have felt that my own worst enemy is myself for criticizing myself too harshly.

"If you think I'm being hard on you, just imagine being me."

I have always been a fan of Darren Aronofsky, ever since those first films "Pi" and "Requiem for a Dream". There's just something about Aronofsky's movies that strikes a particular chord with me. Then again, I've always had slightly masochistic tendencies...

Aronofsky's latest film "Black Swan" was really no different for me than the experience of those earlier films. Let me emphasize though that this is not a bad thing. I like the tantalizing experience of Aronofky's characters. I like the thought of reckless pursuits of the absolute, hopeless endeavours to achieve that final evasive truth so important to our experiences in life. As if we were to ever discover such a thing, our lives would not feel so meaningless.

"You need to learn to let go," I hear Vincent Cassel's character speaking not only to Natalie Portman but also to me. "Just let go, and you could be brilliant."

I don't remember these things word-for-word, but the general idea sticks with me, tormenting me even after the images of the movie have dissolved from my mind.

"You could be brilliant..."