What more can I say except, "Perfection?" Natalie Portman gives the year's best performance.

Rating: 10/10 (25 December 2010)

The film reveals a side of Darren Aronofsky not explored since the 2000 mind screw known as Requiem for a Dream. Forgive me if that sounds harsh, because I was nothing but intrigued, and horrified by Requiem. I say this because Black Swan is an outstanding return to past form for the man, but obviously not for the faint of heart.
Natalie Portman stars as Nina Sayers, a sweet and dedicated ballerina who's given both roles of the White, and Black Swans as part of her group's upcoming rendition of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. She has no problem performing the innocent, and frail White Swan, but her director Thomas (Played by Vincent Cassel) feels a lack of passion for her performance as the Black Swan. He urges her to bring out her underlying dark nature, long suppressed by her overbearing mother (Played by Barbara Hershey), her dedication to technique, and the need to please critics. Over time she begins to realize the dark side of her soul, but begins losing her grip on reality...
...an arc of storytelling handled perfectly by screenwriters Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, and John McLaughlin. The themes of which they present (Sexual desire, paranoia, self-inflicted injury, and jealousy) are eerily, but exceptionally explored, helping to put us inside this dark descent. But Aronofsky is slightly more to thank for this film, as he makes clever use of sound, film editing, and special effects to ease us into uncertainty, heightened only by the cinematography by Mathhew Libatique, who presents us with a warped, and creepy view of Nina's mind, often stylized by the presence of a mirror, evoking a strong sense of her intimidating transformation.
Actors are also quite wonderful too. Vincent Cassell and Mila Kunis are brilliant as Nina's director, and rival, who acts as the perfect contrast to her more fragile nature. Barbara Hershey is also brilliant, while Winona Ryder makes great use of her relatively small role.
And Natalie Portman, obviously I can't really say anything about her performance that hasn't already been said, but she's brilliant. The arc of her character is nothing if not for her dazzling, and devastating portrayal. She's also a damn good dancer, and gives the performance of the year. Simply put, if there's ANY justice in the world, she'll win the Academy Award for Best Leading Actress.
If it wasn't completely obvious halfway through my review, I give Black Swan **** out of ****