Career Best Performance from Portman

Rating: 8/10 (18 February 2011)

A lot has been made of Natalie Portmans performance in Black Swan and rightly so. To put it simply, she is spectacular. Having seen her in many other films and thought her average in those, I was surprised at how well she performs in this. The amazing thing is that this is the same person who played Queen Amidala in Star Wars. She is completely unrecognisable.
I think a lot has to be said for the Director, he has clearly managed to connect with Portman on a level which George Lucas was never able to. Aronofsky masterfully uses intrusive shots and clever camera work which seem to go hand in hand with Portman's delicate portrayal of Nina.
The premise is simple, young female Ballet Dancer lands role of Swan Queen in a production of Swan Lake. As soon as we reach the scene where Nina confronts the choreographer and asks him for the lead role, we know where the story is going. The film can only end one way from this point onwards but I don't think that damages it. The fact that it is a typical Psycho Drama in which the lead descends into insanity is not what is great about this film, as anyone could tell a story as simple as that. What's great about Black Swan is how the story is told.
Performance wise and Direction wise I think the film has everything. I especially enjoyed the way the dancing scenes where shot, with the Camera moving with Portman as she danced. I also adored the scenes showing Nina getting ready to dance. There is something very compelling about watching preparation on screen and the scenes with Nina's Ballet shoes are no exception.
All in all a High class, adrenaline filled thriller, with some magnificent performances and brilliant direction.
9/10