The Oath and Black Swan

These are two of the best movies that I have watched this year.

The Oath (2010)


Chimamanda Adichie is an African novelist from Nigeria.  Last year she gave a TED talk about how dangerous and unfortunate it is when people and cultures are defined by a single story.  Though she is discussing negative views of African countries, it is not hard to extrapolate her point to how many Americans view Islamic terrorists.  There is a single narrative pushed by the media and the government.  It makes things easier, but is it really good for us or them?  Does it not just prolong and exacerbate the conflict?

The Oath challenges the single story we have of terrorists in a very layered and complex way.  We see the human side of our enemies.  They have family and friends they care about.  They struggle with money and their faith and how best to live their lives.  Strip away everything we have been told and they are a lot like us.  Our conflict begins to look a lot more unfortunate for everyone involved.

Laura Poitras has created a beautiful and sad documentary that actually attempts to understand our conflict by understanding the other - and understanding is the key to peace.

Black Swan (2010)

There has been a lot of talk in film club about Aronofsky's films over the last few weeks and I mentioned that Black Swan was one of the films that I was most excited about seeing this year.  

All the hype that I read before seeing the movie had me on edge from the very beginning of the film.  The tight and somewhat shaky shots and the unnerving body images made the movie visceral and intense.  I was not as concerned with unraveling the story as I was with hanging on to the ride.  

Everything people have been saying about Portman in this movie is correct.  She is a powerhouse.  

I agree with Brandon's review.  There were a few faults.  For example, it could have been a bit more cryptic.  This movie was not the "WTF just happened" movie that I have heard it would be.  Nevertheless, it was still a great film with a perfect ending.  

My sister's boyfriend told me that Aronofsky called this movie a companion piece to The Wrestler.  There are definitely some matching themes (obsession, identity, pursuit of art, body images) and I'd love to do a double-feature of these films at some point.