Described as “a tale of one ballerina’s psychosexual freakout” by Newsday‘s Rafer Guzman, Black Swan has earned a lot of media and moviegoer attention for it’s dark sexual themes–especially for the lesbian sex scene between Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis.
Needless to say, the allure of that scene was a major selling point when my friend was talking me into a late night movie. Unfortunately, despite my eternal crush on Natalie Portman, that allegedly sexy scene was just. . . NOT.
We don’t see lesbian sex in Hollywood films too frequently, but when we do, there’s almost always a dark undertone of something just inherently wrong. Is it any coincidence that Portman’s lesbian fantasy takes place while she’s on the path to becoming the evil, lusty black swan of Swan Lake? Not to mention she’s on drugs and undergoing a psychological breakdown, ending in suicide.
It’s Brokeback Mountain all over again–except this time we’re talking ballerinas instead of cowboys. To be honest, I much preferred watching Portman engaging in straight sex (ew!) and falling in love with Ashton Kutcher (ew, again!) in No Strings Attached.
Now, Black Swan is up for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and a nomination for Best Actress for Natalie Portman. While the film was overall amazing and Portman’s performance stunning (as usual), from an LGBT standpoint, there’s another film I’d have to support.
The Kids Are All Right is also up for Best Picture, and actress Annette Bening is competing against Portman for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
The Kids Are All Right is a beautiful film because it shows the fundamental point that gays and lesbians the world over would like people to realize: Gay couples are no different from straight ones! We live, love, fight, and struggle with relationships, just like anyone else you’ve ever known. Critics have applauded the movie for its truly realistic and down-to-earth characters–something not often seen in gay or lesbian film characters who are often over the top.
As Colin Covert of the Minneapolis Star Tribune said, “The Kids Are All Right is a smart, cheerful, character-driven relationship comedy. In other words, it’s a miracle”–a miracle for the LGBT community.
You're gay?! 