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Black Swan poster

CAST
NATALIE PORTMAN
VINCENT CASSELL
BARBARA HERSHEY
MILA KUNIS
BENJAMIN MILLEPIED
WINONA RYDER
KSENIA SOLO

STORY BY
ANDRES HEINZ

SCREENPLAY BY
ANDRES HEINZ
MICHAEL HEYMAN
JOHN J. McLAUGHLIN

PRODUCED BY
SCOTT FRANKLIN
MIKE MEDAVOY
ARNOLD MESSER
BRIAN OLIVER

DIRECTED BY
DARREN ARONOFSKY

GENRE
DRAMA
HORROR
THRILLER

RATED
AUS: MA
UK: 15
USA: R

RUNNING TIME
115 MIN

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TRAILERS & CLIPS

BLACK SWAN (2010)

A psychological horror movie of the highest quality, Black Swan features a stunning, career best turn by Natalie Portman.

From all of the many positive attributes found in the work of filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, it is his ability to evoke phenomenal performances from his actors that impresses the most.

Like Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream) and Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) before her, Portman has been motivated by Aronofsky’s midas touch, and in turn reaches down to the depths of her soul to evoke emotions she had yet to display in her storied career.

Considering Portman’s character is a ballerina whose latest role consumes her mind, body, and soul, that type of dedication should be expected. But as always in Aronofsky’s work, surprise is an element worth counting on, and Portman delivers on those surprises with wondrously raw intensity.

Portman stars as Nina, a dedicated yet inhibited dancer, who is given the opportunity of a lifetime when chosen to play the dual roles of the Swan Queen and her evil twin the Black Swan, in a new production of Swan Lake.

Juggling the demands from her overbearing director (a slimy Vincent Cassell) and over protective mother (Barbara Hershey), while contending with a new dancer (sensual Mila Kunis) gunning for her role, Nina succumbs to the pressure, inadvertently evoking something sinister within her.

 Is it at this point that the film segways into the fantastical, yet it does so with an eerie intimacy, as the supernatural mixes with the psychological to make for a one of a kind experience in horror and obsession.

Portman in turn undertakes a journey both physical and emotional, taking to her role vigour and hitting all facets of this most disturbed of characters, transforming from fragile flower to dark soul. Her ability to convince as a ballet dancer gives credibility to her dedication, while strong sexual scenes (including one erotic foray with Kunis) points to her fearlessness.

Shot in the same intimate, grainy style as The Wrestler, Aronofsky keeps the viewer guessing as to what is real and what is illusion, creating a dazzling and disturbing film in the process.

Yet it is Portman’s performance which makes Black Swan soar, and will have people talking for days on end.

****
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