Has a very nightmarish dream quality to it, which is one of the highest compliments you can pay a film (in my opinion)!

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2010)

'BLACK SWAN': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
Darren Aronofsky, the mastermind director behind such classic films as 'THE WRESTLER', 'REQUIEM FOR A DREAM', 'PI' and 'THE FOUNTAIN', brings us another masterpiece, this time revolving around the world of ballet. It's written by Andres Heinz, John J. McLaughlin and Mark Heyman (a buddy of Aronofsky's; co-producer on 'THE WRESTLER' and writer of his upcoming film 'MACHINE MAN'). It stars Natalie Portman, my favorite actress, who turns in an amazing performance and is the Oscar front-runner for best actress this year (which will be her first win and long overdue in my opinion). It costars Mila Kunis (who is also expected to pick up a best supporting actress Oscar nomination), she's came a long way from 'THAT 70's SHOW' and it might be interesting to note that Portman's co-star in her next film is Ashton Kutcher (Kunis's bf on the show.). Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey and Winona Ryder also co-star.
Like 'THE WRESTLER' this film is another story about one's obsession with their given art form. Instead of wrestling this film centers on ballerina but they kind of play out in strikingly similar fashions, if you think about it, especially the ending. Portman plays Nina, a ballerina in New York City who is obsessed with dancing. When the top dancer Beth (Ryder) is retired due to her age Nina is the director's top choice to replace her for the next production of 'Swan Lake'. The problem is that Nina fits the role of the innocent White Swan perfectly but is unable to lose herself in the performance enough to play the darker more sensual Black Swan. So when new dancer Lily (Kunis) represents the talent needed to perform the dark role the rivalry becomes bitter between the two and warps into a weird friendship. To top it off Nina has to deal with her over controlling mother (Hershey) who gave up her dancing career when she became pregnant with Nina.
The movie above all has a very nightmarish dream quality to it, which is one of the highest compliments you can pay a film (in my opinion). It's a great throwback to the classic films of decades ago, almost Hitchcockian in style. It's very dark and disturbing and although it's a dramatic character study it's also a lot like a horror film in many ways. It's not as emotionally charged and inspiring as 'THE WRESTLER', in my opinion, but it's technically perfect on all other levels; an artistic masterpiece. Some critics of the film argue that it's so over the top in melodrama that it's unintentionally funny in many ways but I didn't find that to be the case. It's dark and dramatic and maybe a little too melodramatic to really resonate emotionally with the viewer but it's still a stunningly beautiful and captivating film to watch. Highlighted of course by Aronofsky's brilliant directing and Portman's Oscar worthy performance, probably the best of the year!
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