Wow! I was left speechless.

Rating: 10/10 (25 December 2010)

I should start this by saying that I have high expectations of Aronofsky. All of his feature films have gone various directions with great success. Out of everything that I've ever seen, nothing has managed quite the impact that Black Swan has. I almost never rate anything at the top of the chart, but this film makes it. I was completely speechless at the end.
In a nutshell, this film is predictable, especially if you're a fan of David Lynch. Even though Aronofsky has proved himself to be an excellent director and creative mastermind, he is still growing. That said, while I knew where this film was going, and how it was going to get there, I was still shocked at most of the events. The whole film starts very slowly, much like Aronofsky's other works. As things start to happen, tension starts to build.
The main character (Nina, played by Natalie Portman) pushes herself to become the star of a reworking of Swan Lake. We always hear about great art requiring sacrifice and suffering, but this role for Nina is nothing that her years of rigorous training could have prepared her to handle. Unlike many other films that play on the drama created between competition for coveted positions, Aronofsky keeps the main focus on Nina, the tumult under her surface, and how that impacts everything around her. Her producer (Thomas) demands much, pushing and pulling her in directions she's never explored. In the end, the work by Nina and Thomas leads to a phenomenal, new rendition of Swan Lake.