... and the Oscar goes to (not Natallie Portman)

Rating: 7/10 (6 February 2011)

I viewed Black Swan with women only, all of whom did not like it. They found it offensive, disturbing and not as good as they had hoped. Many critics on IMDb have already found the flaws in the film so I shall not repeat. Portman is a little one dimensional. She is so uptight as the actress never mind her character. I found Nina Sayers irritating and could not sympathize with her. Winona Ryder should have had more screen time as the role of Beth was perfect for her. There is so much which is implausible about the film that the good bits such as art direction, music and atmosphere are somewhat lost. I really wanted to like this film as from the trailers I inferred that it would be top notch - not so. Rather disappointing as I felt something was truly missing and it never jumped out at me. The bad script did not help, it was more than bad it was appalling. Was it horror? Was it thriller? Was it just the story of a repressed girl who was totally unsuitable to be a ballerina? Come the Oscars, I think Jennifer Lawrence from Winter's Bone would be a worthier winner. Portman is a fine actress but was unable to quite deliver in the role; simply put she was too uptight. Judging by so many other negative reviews the film has not lived up to its hyperbole.