Black Swan (2010)

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel

A committed dancer struggles to maintain her sanity after winning the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake”.

Unless you’re a fan of ballet, a film about ballet might not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, add hints of mystery and some horror elements – and a very good script – and it might have a wider appeal. Young boys might still not feel comfortable telling their friends they watched a movie about ballet…

Whether you’re into ballet or not, you’ve surely heard of ‘Swan Lake’ before. Personally I’ve never seen a performance of ‘Swan Lake’ and until ‘Black Swan’ had no idea what it was about (although I have heard of it before and know the famous music).

Ballerina Nina (Natalie Portman) is selected to audition for the new production of ‘Swan Lake’. When she is chosen for the role, she finds it is much harder than she thought. She has to play two roles – that of the white swan, and the black swan – which is like an evil alter ego. This takes a literal turn when Nina does everything in her power to become the character. As she undergoes a metamorphosis just like her character is supposed to, we witness her disturbing descent into madness.

There to further complicate her life, is her mother, who is a weird character – almost like a restraint tyrant. The film gets really creepy towards the end. This was extraordinary, actually!

Natalie Portman delivers an excellent performance as Nina. The make-up and visuals are also stunning. ‘Black Swan’ was indeed a pleasant surprise.

‘Black Swan’ received 376 award nominations, winning 97, including an Oscar for Best Leading Actress (Natalie Portman). The film earned a staggering $329 million on a $13 million budget. Wow!!

Would I watch it again? Yes.