A true masterpiece, anchored by a tour-de-force performance from Natalie Portman

Rating: 10/10 (1 December 2010)

I saw Black Swan recently and it was nothing short of amazing. From the first moments in the movie where we are in Nina's(Natalie Portman) dreams to the eventual end of the ballet where Nina utters "It was perfect", and boy was she right. By know you all know about the story, Nina is pushed by ballet director(Cassel), lives with and over-bearing mother(Hershey), faces a rival(Kunis), and is tormented by an aging ballerina(Ryder). I want to talk about the supporting cast...all of which were great. Cassel is arrogant, pushy, and charismatic as Thomas, he really elevates a one note character into something amazing. Barbara Hershey was great as the over-bearing mother of Nina. Hershey was born to play this role and I think she deserves more awards buzz then she is getting. Kunis really shocked me, I mean I really never thought she could be this good, she will shock you. Winona, although only in a few scenes, makes you remember she was there, she blew me away, and brought a sort of grace to a very chilling character, certainly a triumphant return to cinema.Also one to talk about is Ksenia Sols, who plays Veronica in the film, she is really great and does a good job with her small role. Now, lets talk about Natalie Portman... WOW, just wow was she amazing. I have been a fan of Natalies for some time now, but never have I seen her this good. She takes this performance so far beyond what I thought it would be. She allows you to take this journey with her, and by the end she will leave you stunned by her performance. Certainly THE best performance of the year by far. As for the other aspects, the score was amazing, the camera work was superb, and Aronofsky's direction great. Mr. Aronofsky and Ms. Portman really take us on a journey in this film, a journey that I won't stop thinking about for a long time. Black Swan is truly a Masterpiece. 10/10, 5/5, 4 stars, which ever way you wanna say it, just go see this movie.