It seems somehow fitting that I snapped a photo of myself going down a warped looking escalator just before meeting up to see Black Swan, a story about a young woman's descent into madness. I have absolutely no doubt that Natalie Portman will be nominated for Best Actress for this film. She has never been better. I still feel a little haunted by it all. It is eery, deeply twisted, disturbing and taps into some of our greatest fears - that continuous pressure can make us implode. In her efforts to be the lead Swan Queen, Portman's Nina is a tightly wound ballerina who will stop at nothing to reach perfection. But the expectations that she, and her overbearing mother, places on her, take their toll both physically and mentally. The cracks start to show on all kinds of surfaces. Nina is the perfect technical dancer; fragile and delicate enough to perform the white swan flawlessly. However, she can't seem to just let herself go and tap into her sexual side, which she desperately needs to if she wants to be convincing as the lead's alter ego - the seductive black swan. Enter Mila Kunis stage left, who brilliantly portrays free-spirited ballerina Lily, mirroring back to Nina everything she isn't - sexy and emotionally accessible. Director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream) masterly intertwines Nina's unravelling with the storyline of Swan Lake. He often filmed from the back of Nina's head, with her tightly wound bun in the foreground, making the audience almost feel like they are stalking her -cleverly adding tension and building upon her character's growing paranoia. This film won't be for everyone because of its disturbing subject matter, but I definitely am glad I caught it on the big screen.
