The strive for perfection ends in devastation

Rating: 9/10 (30 March 2011)

Reading reviews of Black Swan online made me come to a logical consensus; you either love it, or hate it. There is really no in between. If so you're leaning to one side. The film is definitely an art film. I saw a poster for this a while back as it proudly displays it's selected showings at The Toronto Film Festival and Venice 2010. Once I saw those two little messages on opposite sides of the poster I knew that one, this was a serious film, and two, it's likely to get some Oscar nominations. Junior film critic intuition.
Black Swan was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress (Natalie Portman), and Best Director. Sadly, it found itself a bit neglected compared to hefty competition with The King's Speech and The Social Network. At least Portman was recognized for her unique and thrilling role as Nina Sayers, a ballet dancer working at a stunning academy in New York City.
The director Thomas (Cassel) chooses Nina to be the white swan in the retelling of Swan Lake. Nina is thrilled to have the job, but she feels held back and forced into a box she can't fit into by her controlling and strict mother (Hershey). Nina's mom was an aspiring dancer, but failed to get to the level of fame and is now forcing her daughter to do what she couldn't do. She clearly wants the best, but not in the right way.
The pressure but on Nina is relenting and makes her have strange, unexplainable hallucinations and anxiety levels of high calibers. She is almost on the verge of going insane. She strives to be perfect, but at the same time she's up on a pedestal her mom and she herself know she can't live up to. It's a sad state of affairs for this poor women.
The cinematography and especially the music is extraordinary and very vibrant. The score is gripping and is easily the best soundtrack composed for any film in 2010. Natalie, excuse me, Oscar Winner Natalie Portman gives an electrifying performance and documents the struggle will full seriousness. She had that Oscar in the bag before the nominations came out.
Mila Kunis is brilliant here as well. I have called Kunis an amazing woman of beautiful looks and now I can call her one of beautiful looks and major talent. Not like she didn't have talent before this film, she just never got to showcase it like she did in this film.
Director Darren Aronofsky knew where he wanted to take Black Swan - above and beyond expectations. It's a film not only worthy of the Best Picture win, but a movie that should've had a wider release and more mainstream promotion. The acting, the screenplay, music, lighting, plot, etc is outstanding and some of the best 2010 has to offer.
As for "the scene" with Portman and Kunis I wasn't all amused or aroused. I'm not a fan of lesbian sex scenes in any film. Horror, comedy, or melodrama it isn't the kind of thing I like to watch. The film Bitch Slap was great exploitation, but the continuous lesbian love scene was too long and almost soiled the film and what it had going for it. While it's not meant for the reason it appears, Black Swan knows when to start it and when to stop it.
When it comes to ballet movies, the few and far between, there are only a selected number of people who like ballet let alone the ones who want to see it on film. I admit I probably never would've seen Black Swan if it wasn't up for nominations. But I was attracted to the film when Kunis's name appeared on the poster, but could never find a theater near me that played it. I didn't even know the plot to the film and still was interested.
The less you know going into see Black Swan, the better.
Starring: Natalie Portman. Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, and Barbara Hershey. Directed by: Darren Aronofsky.