Mesmerising

Rating: 10/10 (10 February 2011)

'It was perfect'... the final words spoken in the film and you will be hard pressed to disagree. You will walk out of the cinema knowing you have just seen something special. Everything from the sound effects of the toe-cracking and the nail-clipping to the mesmerising performance from Natalie Portman just illustrate perfection from start to finish.
A lot of 'Requiem' can be noticed throughout; the roller-coaster of emotion that descends into insanity at such a variable rate - sometimes easing and slowing down, and then suddenly plummeting into a deep ocean of complete despair, you live it and feel it in the same way Nina does. The gradual blurring of reality and Nina's dark fantasies is a real triumph for the director.
Overall I think what grips you the most is the erratic pace throughout the film, much like the movements of the Swan in the ballet sometimes assured, sometimes deeply confused, often desperate. Strong themes of duality with so many layers - so much could be analysed on so many different levels, in this respect it is almost Shakespearean.
Truly one of the greatest films I have ever seen.