My pick for the best film of 2010

Rating: 8/10 (22 January 2011)

Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan" is a psychological thriller concerning a ballet dancer who is awarded a challenging dual role in a production of "Swan Lake". She's ideal as the innocent White Swan but in order to successfully portray the Black Swan she must tap into her dark side. Soon, the stress begins to take its toll and the line between fantasy and fact becomes blurred.
Natalie Portman has gotten rave reviews for her performance here and rightly so. She adroitly handles her character's transformation, from initial fragility to increasing neurosis. She recently won a Golden Globe for her performance and I suspect that an Oscar will soon follow. Mila Kunis has also received some attention but I found her performance pretty unremarkable next to those by Barbara Hershey & Vincent Cassell.
Aronofsky's direction is expertly handled and, like "The Wrestler", it's not overly showy like his earlier efforts. He'll undoubtedly be in contention for an Oscar and, while I doubt he'll win, he'd be a deserving winner. Meanwhile, the quality cinematography and special effects help to bolster the film's attractiveness. Clint Mansell's bold score also deserves mention since it's an essential part of the atmosphere.
Ultimately, "Black Swan" will probably not appeal to everyone but I found it to be an absorbing, thought-provoking movie anchored by a standout performance from Portman. In my opinion, "The Social Network" and "The King's Speech", while good movies, are no match for this one as the year's best.