Haunting portrait of obsession

Rating: 10/10 (4 February 2011)

It is not always possible for us to get close to a world we admire, or fully understand the art of obsession. As a supreme storyteller and ultimate visceral visualist, Darren Aronofsky gives as a unique opportunity to step into the shoes of a tormented ballerina in Black Swan. His intimate and haunting portrait of an artist consumed by passion and fueled by obsession, is magnificently realised by Natalie Portman, who delivers the performance of a lifetime in a role she vividly brings to life. The unison between director and performer is electrifying and sets the screen on fire. This powerful cinematic experience takes film to an exciting new level, allowing us to be fully emotionally immersed and really share the experience of the characters with sincere and brutal honesty. Aronofsky never wallows in sentimentality, rather allowing the vulnerability of his characters to take us on an unexpected and meaningful journey. It is not a film about ballet, but a film about the dance of life, delicately exploring the confrontation between the good and evil that makes us human, and exposing the fragile vulnerability of being human. Aronofsky lures us into a haunting, fractured world of delusions, doubles and paranoia in his first psychological thriller. He spins a sensual and chilling tale of a prima ballerina locked in an obsessive battle with dark impulses that slowly engulf her. It is the story of Nina (Portman), a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance.