What a crazy ride!!!

Rating: 9/10 (28 January 2015)

Name of movie: Black Swan (2010) Based in: New York City Time line: Hmmm.....not sure. I guess a few weeks? Cast: Natalie Portman as Nina, Mila Kunis as Lily, Vincent Cassel as Thomas Leroy, Barbara Hershey as Erica, Nina's mom and Winona Ryder as Beth Director: Darren Aronofsky Genre: Psychological Horror Synopsis: Welcome to the competitive world of ballet. Ballet is Nina's life. She doesn't just want to be good--she wants to be perfect. She finally has the chance when she lands the lead role in the opening production of the new season. But, how badly does she really want it? The movie's plot revolves around the season's new production of "Swan Lake". Thomas Leroy, the artistic director/Nina's boss, needs a dancer who can play both the innocent White Swan and her dark twin The Black Swan. Thomas decides to replace Beth, the prima ballerina/his lover, for someone new to play The Swan Queen. Despite his doubts, he picks Nina. But he's also intrigued by Lily, the company's newest dancer. Leroy thinks that Nina can easily play the White Swan because it's who she really is--innocent, fragile, fearful. But he doesn't think she can play The Black Swan who is beguiling, seductive, dangerous.
Black Swan seems to be all about getting in touch with our dark side and the toll it can take on us. Nina is so obsessed with becoming the Swan Queen and we follow her down the rabbit hole, so to speak. We see Nina struggling to cope with several problems throughout the film--fear of failure, mental illnesses, anxiety, constant pressure and even the threat of losing her mind.
Natalie Portman does such an amazing job portraying this that it never feels like she's acting. She IS Nina Sayers. Mila Kunis does a great job as well as Lily, Nina's friend/competitor. Even Winona Ryder's brief turn as jilted Beth is intense and memorable. All of the performances were great. It's hard to pick a favorite.
But Nina isn't exactly the best narrator, but I don't believe she is supposed to be. We never know what's real and what's not. The pressure is really getting to Nina & I think director Darren Aronofsky did a great job with the film. I especially liked the talking pictures towards the end, Nina's relationships with the people in her life and how they add to the pressure and delusions, the increasing uses of the evil twin, and the ripples. Very subtle touch.
Overall, I think "Black Swan" took me on a wild, interesting ride. It was interesting to see what ballerinas actually go through. I heard that Portman and Kunis spent almost a year training and researching for these parts. That included ballet exercises every day for FIVE hours, and 1200 calorie diets. Wow. Anyway, enjoy and leave the lights on.