Black Swan

Darren Aronofsky conceived the premise by connecting his viewings of a production of Swan Lake with an unrealised screenplay about understudies. A director familiar with the genre of psychological thriller,Aronfsky combines the ethereal world of ballet with the inner conflicts and pressures of the prima ballerinas.

Natalie Portmans performance is a revelation from this actress. She and co-actor Mila Kunis prepared by training for 10 months. Portmans performance is pirouette perfect,which raises the bar on the otherwise predictable story of rivalry,passion and one upmanship in a dance company. Mila Kunis as arch rival Lily is equally exacting,while Barbara Hershey provides a perfectly calibrated performance as a mother whose love is real,as much as she is dominating. Vincent Cassel plays Thomas with intimidating arrogance.

Matthew Libatiques lensing also raises the bar on the film. He handles the sequences of Ninas trauma with as much intensity as he does the grandeur of the ballet being staged. 

Not an extraordinary film,The Black Swan has emerged among the contenders of the year thanks to Natalie Portmans exacting performance.

RATING:
Three stars for direction,performances,cinematography and production.