Black Swan (2010)

To say that Black Swan is a ballet thriller doesn't do it any sort of justice, for it is neither a film very saturated with ballet nor is it a mere thriller. The 2010 film from director Darren Aronofsky is infinitely more than it appears to be.

The plot centres on young New York ballerina Nina Sayers and her struggles to embody the lead roles of the White and Black Swans in a modernized production of Swan Lake. She has no difficulties with the character of the White Swan, as she herself is young, innocent and pure; however, her quest to become the much more sensual and dangerous Black Swan proves treacherous. Nina is pulled into the very depths of herself and is at the mercy of her subconscious, which has turned on her and is driving Nina ever further into madness. As her descent deepens, Nina no longer trusts anyone around her, including her mother, a former ballerina herself; her rival, Lily; and the one-time prima ballerina she has replaced, Beth MacIntyre.

Part of what makes Black Swan such a captivating film is the undeniable strength and onscreen presence of its cast. Natalie Portman takes on her most powerful role to date as the troubled Nina, and plays the character to complete perfection. The conviction in her acting keeps the audience as uncertain as Nina is in separating reality from delusion. Alongside Portman is Mila Kunis as Lily, the rival ballerina. Kunis proves strong on her own, but is unbelievably powerful during her interactions with Portman, particularly during a brutal hallucination of Nina's when the two women engage in a disturbing backstage fight. The strength of the cast is rounded out in the talents of Winona Ryder as the retired Beth MacIntyre, Barbara Hershey as Nina's frighteningly overprotective mother, and Vincent Cassel as ballet director Thomas Leroy.

The acting talents of the cast are supported through the use of disturbingly realistic and violent digital effects that will no doubt have some viewers squirming in their seats, particularly when it seems as though Nina is physically transforming into the Black Swan. The fast pace of the editing and the power of the sound effects used in Black Swan serve only to heighten the tension and uncertainty of the film.

Black Swan is a film that cannot be let go of or forgotten simply by walking out of the theatre. It is a haunting and, at times, downright disturbing story that will leave itself solidly etched into your thoughts for quite some time following its breathtaking, albeit ambiguous, finale. Black Swan is inarguably the product of the top talents of cinema converging into an event of epic proportions, and will certainly find itself perched atop the best of the best for the foreseeable future. Even if you're not quite sure that a thriller with a few ballet-themed elements thrown in is your type of movie, Black Swan is absolutely worth watching.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars