Black Swan

Natalie Portman takes method acting to a whole new level in 2010's last minute Oscar push, "Black Swan". She's quite the actor, I must say. The role is brilliantly calculated, technical, psychological, primal and passionate, and Natalie unfolds and plucks out its layers one feather at a time. This is guaranteed to be one psychological thriller you have not seen before. And I wouldn't be surprised if horror fans welcome it into their favorite genre because what could be scarier than digging deep into your soul and pulling out something so strange and dark you're not sure who you are anymore?

Natalie Portman plays Nina, a ballerina who has dedicated her life to being just that, and finally wins the lead in an original interpretation of “Swan Lake.” Nina preforms the part of the white swan perfectly. However, as her teacher and another ballerina, Lily, help her get in touch with her darker side in order to preform the part of the black swan, Nina is torn apart. From the first scene when she seems to misinterpret her own reflection in the subway window, to a later scene when Lily doesn't seem to have the same memory of their night together, we are feeling pretty disturbed inside Nina's twisted sense of reality. With no help from her overbearing mother, played by Barbara Hershey, we see how perhaps trying too hard to play a role perfectly has some serious repercussions. It makes me wonder what Natalie went through to play this character... and this role within a role.

“Black Swan” was hands down my favorite film of 2010. I will never forget how I felt at the end of the last scene. I think some viewers might have a hard time with the film only because some viewers want something that makes them feel good rather than something that makes them feel nervous or icky. Its not a far cry from one of Darren Aronofsky's earlier films, “Requiem for a Dream.” If you'll remember, some of the scenes were so brilliantly shot, you actually felt you were in the moment. Its the reason we're so passionate about film, being able to experience things we normally wouldn't or couldn't. However, I loved this movie so much more, and I hope everyone will see it. I recommend seeing it with someone you love: you can discuss its meaning and the powerful performance by Natalie Portman over a cup of Jo as I did, and then you can give each other a hug so you wont have depressing dreams at night.