A perfect Hit

Rating: 10/10 (14 July 2011)

This film has been reviewed so much I really don't think I'm going to bring anything new but I need to give it try.This is about Nina Sayer (Natalie Portman) a young ballet dancer who dreams of dancing the role of the Swan Queen in the ballet Swan Lake. It seems her dream is coming true when Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) the director of the ballet company chooses her for the role - the problem is that his production calls for the dancer dancing the Swan Queen to also dance the role of the Black Swan. Nina's obsession with technical perfection as well her withdrawn personality are gets in the way of convincingly dancing the primal seductive role of the Black Swan. Another dancer Lilly (Mila Kunis) is more fun, relaxed and sexually mature than Nina and is also the alternate choice for her role which makes Nina nervous. She also has a mother who treats Nina like a little girl, gives her no privacy and wants to know where she is every hour of the day. The pressure takes it toll on Nina who starts to hallucinate seeing fleeting glimpses of a doppelgänger.
Near to opening night Lilly takes Nina out drinking in defiance of Nina's mother. Lily gives Nina a drug to relax her and introduces her to a couple of men they go out for a wild night of clubbing This opens up Nina to her sexual nature and we see the Black Swan coming out in Nina more and the line between dream and reality is shattered. This builds up to the opening night where Nina opens herself up to the darkness and obsession inside herself to perform.
The first time I saw this I was totally floored by the last act. Nina's breakdown is subtle at the start of the film, but it builds in intensity until the neurotic dancer who started the film emerges on the stage as a complete maniac. Nina has no idea what is real any more and nor do we. I am not really sure why I got so drawn into this story. I liked that there was no sub-plot and the film concentrated on Nina allowing us to empathise with her all the way on her journey into madness right up to the last scene which was perfect.
Rating 10/10