Movie Review: Black Swan, supreme and imaginatively disturbing!

Black Swan is one of the conspicuous movie contenders for 2011 Oscar Awards. The psycho-sexual thriller movie depicts the struggle of a principal ballerina to separate reality and stage character from each other. Nina, played by Natalie Portman, was a perfectionist, dream achiever, and an ambitious ballerina who suffered from mental derangement resulting in paranoia and hallucination; and eventually, ended up in a horrific death, a classic melodrama tantamount to Shakespearean tragedies:  Macbeth, Othello’s Desdemona and more. However, most critics compared "Black Swan" to Roman Polanski’s Repulsion and other schizophrenic films such as Sybil, Benny and June, A Beautiful Mind, Twelve Monkeys, Fight Club, and more.

Impressively, director Darren Aronofsky, director of The Wrestler, wisely projected an extreme characterization of each actor in the film; which in my opinion, the reason why Portman is considered for the best actress coming 2011 Oscar. Portman, though not an authentic ballerina, did an astounding performance playing ballerina with a matrix of heavy, intense, emotional characterization; while Barbara Hershey, played as Portman’s over protective mother, rendered an impeccable acting in support to our lunatic heroine.

While the setting was a fictional ballet company located at Lincoln Center, the collective illustration of the ballet world was exaggerated with some non-fictional theme; particularly, the lecherous character of the head director, which in my opinion, was absolutely Hollywood. How could a reputable and paramount ballet company allow such a behavior?However, that is debatable and one may argue the opposite. That said, balletomanes might raise their eyebrows on that note.Nevertheless, kudos to director Aronofsky who took an extra mile to depict and capture the real dance sequence and choreography of the “Tchaikovsky” warhorse’s Swan Lake”in the film.

Overall, Black Swan is a dark, intense, and mentally challenging film that offers a highly subjective approach to the fate of a ballerina from being perfect to psychologically demented. Though the film is psychologically disturbing, it is sound; an irony analogous to Portman's bilateral persona of a virginal, placid girl but consumed by dubious and psychotic alter-ego. I promise you, you would not want to leave your chair. So, grab your popcorns and take care of any restroom activities. For this film, I give 4 stars!