What happened to my sweet girl?

Rating: 10/10 (22 January 2011)

Awe-inspiring is one way to put Aronofskys masterpiece of the sublime.
Making the actual Swan Lake storyline the scenario for the actual movie is a clever move, as life soon imitates art, for Nina.
She is a relatively isolated girl, living in a world of pink with her mentally ill mother. Desperate for the lead in Swan lake, she becomes obsessed with the story, and as the film unfolds, we learn that it has taken over her life and her rational thought.
She starts to hallucinate, and sees her friend/adversary Lily as her alter-ego, the black seductive swan to her innocent white swan.
This is shown many times throughout the film. Lily IS a real person, but the narrative makes you question this several times throughout the movie, when Nina begins to hallucinate scenarios that are not happening. aronofsky plays with the audiences subconscious throughout, many scenes involving Portman and Kunis have them sitting in a mirror image profile, as in Kunis is in a position as if she were Portmans reflection.
There is much emphasis on mirrors. nearly every shot includes one and the mirrors show the darkness that is waiting to over take Ninas life.
Many people who view this, may think they will get the 'twist' early on in the film. The truth is, there is no twist, the film is just showing Ninas psyche slowly breaking down, due to her living with her mother, and getting used to her erratic behaviour (which to her would be the norm, we see on many occasion that Portman is the oddball in the group, especially when Veronica comments 'why does she keep staring at me?).
The cinematography is exquisite, and some of the best i have seen, and the editing is perfect, along with choreography and the score.
The film focuses on loss of innocence and Cassels character could well be the Black Swan, trying to delve into Ninas past, and encouraging her not to be so....sheltered with her inhibitions.
All the cast are excellent, and this movie is one of the most perfect pieces of cinema i have seen in a long time.
See the film for it's beauty, and how society and trying to be the best at what you do can lead to your downfall.