I felt it...it was perfect

Rating: 8/10 (22 May 2011)

Black Swan directed by Darren Aronofsky is on surface a horror , at another level deeper it is a psychological thriller and at the core level it is an insightful tale about the ultimate question, are we embodiments of both evil and good?
Nina Saywers(Natalie Portman) is a ballet dancer who wins the role of the "Swan Queen" in the 'Swan lake' staging. Her role requires her to don the role of both the pure virgin-white swan and her evil counterpart the Black swan. Her tutor Thomas Leyroy(cassel) points out that she is perfect for the White swan but fails to connect with the evil role. Nina makes a conscious attempt to accept and 'feel' the Black swan, but soon she realizes that it's not just a role anymore and the dark side of her begins to appear in real life. Mila kunis plays the role of colleague- Lily in whom Nina sees the 'Black Swan' and begins to get insecure. Kunis excellently portrays her role and keeps you guessing about her actual intentions. Cassel portrays a character with shades of gray and shines through. Barbara Hershey as Nina's overbearing mother is convincing.
But the show stealer is of course the protagonist Portaman, who's powerful and enigmatic performance will grip the viewer from the beginning of the film and only leaves your mind long after the ending. The plot as mentioned before has many layers to it,but what makes this movie work is that no matter at what level you perceive the film, it is still hugely entertaining and satisfying. At times the film feels chaotic and crazy but the jewel in the crown is the ending that is both convincing yet open for an interpretation.
Black swan definitely is a classic and if not for anything else , it will be remembered for Portman's preeminent performance.