Portman shines in the role of a lifetime

Rating: 10/10 (19 March 2015)

Superb direction from Aronofsky and a brilliant, Oscar winning performance from Portman highlight this dark psychological drama about a gifted ballet dancer trying to find her inner "Black Swan." Aronofsky seems to have a real gift in casting and coaxing great performances from his players. Compare this to The Wrestler. He selected Mickey Rourke, a fallen star with a broken body, living on past glories, to play a character that was very similar. In this one he selects a beautiful, gifted actress who had shown brilliance, but never quite fulfilled her promise, to play a similar character. Portman, like Rourke before her, knocked it out of the park, with the journey she takes on screen to this brilliant performance echoing the journey of her character.
The good performances in Black Swan don't stop with Portman either. If Portman's performance was the crowning glory of her career, Kunis' effort is her coming out as a formidable talent playing two characters. Winona Ryder, an actress in her 40s who was once an it-girl, gives it her all as a ballerina in an identical situation. Barbara Hershey as, Mommie Dearest, is unsettling, but in no way one note. One minute she is a loving parent, the next a brooding monster. Vincent Cassel, a talented actor and sometime producer, revels in one of his best roles as music instructor Thomas Leroy.
Through skilled direction, Aronofsky follows Portman around the entire film, often looking over her shoulder, and superior use of lighting and score create an atmosphere more unsettling than many modern horror films can manage.
In the interest of fairness I read some negative reviews for this film, and the main negative seems to be the feeling from people who are involved in or have an appreciation for ballet not believing that Aronofsky has done the profession in general, or Swan Lake specifically, any justice. The criticism being that the director only has a superficial understanding of the subject matter, not a small issue by any measure, but not one I have any knowledge of. So if you are a fan of ballet, you could be in for a disappointment.
I don't know much about the ballet, I can't think of any scenario by which I would sit through a two hour (or longer) performance. I appreciate the skill and dedication of the performers, but it's not my idea of entertainment. What I do know something about is actors and performances, and Portman gives one of the best acting performances you will ever see. Like it's subject, Black Swan isn't perfect, but it's spectacular entertainment.