A masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (28 December 2010)

I am absolutely speechless. I keep trying to formulate words to describe this magnificent film, and I just cannot adequately express it.
If you are an artist of almost any performance type, mostly an actor or a dancer, you will relate almost frighteningly closely with this movie. The journey that Nina descends into after being rewarded with the role of the Swan Queen is a journey that any performer who has ever taken on any role that has challenged them can identify with.
The explosive climax is one that will be talked about for years to come. No matter what conclusion you come to, there will be someone else that can find a hole in your theory.
Vincent Cassell, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder all deliver nuanced performances that transcend the lines of a supporting performance. They are all absolutely stunning and scene-stealing.
However, not a single performance in the film, nor any performance in any film in the past year and possibly the last five years, can overcome what Natalie Portman has achieved. She has completely defined exactly what she portrays in this film: she has completely and totally transformed into Nina, and done so without breaking a sweat. She is mind-altering good. She is perfect. If she doesn't win an Academy Award for this performance, than nothing is right in the world. She is beautiful, sexy, dangerous, and absolutely flawless, and she delivers a performance that is perfect because it is not a performance; it is real.
There are surely a thousand more things to say about this film, but as I have stated, I cannot form the words.
If you don't see Black Swan, you are missing out on one of the true masterpieces of our generation. See it.