Black Swan

Natalie Portman will break your heart and freak you out as Nina, the unhinged ballerina striving a little too hard for perfection in Darren Aronofsky’s harrowing and hallucinatory film. Portman tears into this role with such raw power that you’ll wonder whether she will have anything left in the tank for future films. After years of struggles, veteran dancer Nina lands herself the part of a lifetime as the Swan Queen in a new version of Swan Lake by Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel). While those around her, including her needy mother (Barbara Hershey), feel that this achievement is well-deserved and should fuel her confidence, Nina spirals downward into a world of dark fantasy and self-destruction. Mila Kunis is excellent as Lily, Nina’s dancing rival who begins a twisted friendship with Nina that may or may not be complete fantasy. The film is yet another good one by Aronofsky, and this is undoubtedly the best work of Portman’s career.