9/10 = perfect - a thrilling masterpiece, entertaining as well as artistic

Rating: 8/10 (15 September 2014)

Black Swan is an exceptional character portrait for everyone, both the casual popcorn eating blockbuster watcher, who's going to the cinema for pure entertainment and the cinephile, perceiving and judging a film by its artistic form - expressing the essence of being. Go watch it!
The film grabs you, taking you on a pulse increasing trip feeling Ninas (Natalie Portman) self-destructive compulsion to perfection, while never loosening it's grip.
As a character portrait it's comparable to The American" (2010), but uses swifter stylistic devices which fit perfectly to the pressure experienced by Nina who never comes to rest, giving the film a much faster tempo and is therefore more accessible for the mainstream audience.
And holy cow, that performance of Natalie Portman! It's unbelievable! From start to end she couldn't make any better - absolutely perfect. Yap, there you go, Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role". Mila Kunis does a surprisingly great job (usually she's not that good) and is an excellent cast for Lilys role, but compared to Natalie Portman everyone else falls off.
The second star besides Natalie Portman: Director Darren Aronofsky. Requiem for a Dream" (2000) and The Fountain" (2006) speak for itself, while going even one step further with Black Swan". Incredible usage of mirrors enriching Ninas character and creating an outstanding atmosphere with his placement of light and shadow.
Illustrating the inner life of an artist loosing and damaging herself while trying to reach perfection (using ballet, but transferable to other art forms), this film itself achieves perfection and is a pleasure to watch for everyone.
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my IMDb-rating scale
10 over the top / 9 perfect / 8 must see / 7 extremely good / 6 very good / 5 good / 4 OK / 3 so-so / 2 bad / 1 don't watch it