Was Nina Crazy? Geez, I Never Would Have Guessed...

Rating: 1/10 (22 January 2011)

Wow, I really hated this! I don't understand the hype, quite honestly. Yes, Natalie Portman's performance was very good, but unfortunately it's in a cinematic vehicle that was as cliché as they come. They essentially knock you over the head with the fact that the main character, Nina, is losing her mind at every (predictable) twist and turn. Very gratuitous and clumsily done. It's extremely campy and, as for the "scare factor", I was left feeling nothing. And that's pretty much how I felt about this film as a whole - nothing.
For a much more subtle, well done portrayal of the theme of an "inside view" of mental illness, you need look no further than "A Beautiful Mind." I know Portman will probably be nominated for Best Actress, but if Black Swan is nominated for an Oscar for best picture, it will be a sad commentary on the collective tastes of our society as a whole and the film community, in particular.