Black Swan

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Stars: Natalie Portman (Nina), Mila Kunis (Lily), Vincent Cassel (Thomas)

Artistically this award winning, Oscar nominated masterpiece is flawless. It combines edited footage with the completely raw passion put into all of the performances given; leaving you with a stunning work of art that is not to be lightly overlooked.

Headed by the Star Wars grown Natalie Portman the cast leads you down a psychological thriller that blurs the boundaries between reality and fantasy. Whilst the trailer suggest the lives of the swans in the ballet Swan Lake (there’s the White Swan who is betrayed by a the Black Swan meaning the White Swan dies at the end) parallels the life of Nina the new Prima Ballerina it is very deceptive in the darkness that overcomes and envelopes the lead character.

The story is of the young twenty something Nina as she struggles to embody the part of the Black Swan. As a dancer Nina has always obsessed with the technique and getting everything perfect, perhaps because of her overbearing, retired dancer mother. However the part of the Black Swan demands sensuality and a grace of movement that doesn’t rely on perfection but imperfections and rawness that relies on letting go of yourself.

Whilst trying to embody this darker character Nina spirals down a well of despair, speculation and paranoia. This is where the boundaries of her reality and her delusions become blurred leaving the audience unsure as to whether what they’re seeing is real or a hallucination, creating a powerful storyline that will always keep you wondering what exactly is going on and throws the unexpected in your face, as is Aronosfky’s trademark.

Whilst artistically sound I came out trying to figure out what actually happened to Nina and what was a strong figment of her imagination. The subtle changes in fantasy and reality reflect the lack pf Nina’s perception of what is real and what is not which makes the reality harder to distinguish for the audience.

Deceived by the trailer into thinking it was only going to be an emotional parallel between the swans and Nina I hadn’t expected to see something quite so dark and wondered if this film should actually be an 18 certificate – it’s not one for the faint hearted.