Not at all what I was expecting (I certainly wasn't expecting Kunis to do that to Portman!).

Rating: 8/10 (10 March 2015)

For some reason I had been expecting Darren Aronofsky's Oscar-winning Black Swan to be an overly complex psychological horror/thriller, a real head-scratcher that would leave me thoroughly perplexed; instead, I was surprised at the simplicity of the basic premise: an obsessive ballerina spirals into madness whilst preparing for the lead role in Swan Lake. What makes the film so impressive is not so much the story—the descent into insanity has been tackled many times before—but rather the complexity and skillfulness of Aranofsky's direction, and the sheer power of Natalie Portman's tour-de-force performance as Nina, the frigid dancer who struggles to let go of her inhibitions to perfect the part of the Black Swan.
Aranofsky's visuals are absolutely stunning, each meticulously choreographed scene executed with style and precision, the dizzying camera-work putting the viewer on the stage amidst the twirling dancers. Portman has never been better, utterly convincing as a fragile artist whose quest for perfection takes a terrible toll on her sanity. Her dancing is absolutely breath-taking, while her sexier moments—a sneaky spot of masturbation and an oral sex scene with fellow ballet star Lily (Mila Kunis) reveal an actress willing to take considerable risks to nail her role (while giving her straight male/gay female fans something to fantasise about for years to come).