By GOH VERN ANN


Innocence: Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) puts her heart and soul into the portrayal of the White Swan.

The moment the credits started rolling, it became crystal-clear to me why Natalie Portman went home clinching the Best Actress award from the Oscars. Her performance in Black Swan is extraordinary. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, this is an intriguing film about fear, love, envy and hatred.

Black Swan is a gripping tale about Nina Sayers, a young ballerina played by Natalie Portman. It tells of how she is slowly driven to insanity by sheer pressure, envy and her overzealous will to be perfect.

The story begins with Nina being selected for the lead role of the Swan, a role which she has been dreaming to play. However, she eventually discovers that it is not as easy as it seems. While she excels at portraying the innocence and naivety of the White Swan, Nina struggles to capture the essence of the dark and seductive Black Swan.


Black Beauty: Nina struggles desperately to pull off the darker role of the Black Swan.

When her director, Thomas (Vincent Cassel), begins to doubt her capability of carrying off the Swan role, Nina is forced to delve deep into her dark side. She begins to suffer from hallucinations and anxiety attacks which escalate in tandem with her progress in rehearsal.

Things take a turn for the worse when Thomas encourages Nina to admire the company's new ballerina: funky free spirit and Olympic-standard minx Lily (Mila Kunis), who helps unlock her life-force with seductive overtures of friendship, and more. Nina soon finds herself worrying obsessively about Lily stealing her role.

This movie also stands out in terms of its breathtakingly beautiful costumes. The exquisite ballet dresses for both the White and Black Swan were custom-designed by Rodarte. They are nothing short of spectacular to behold.

Overall, Black Swan is enthralling and fantastically deranged at times. It draws the audience into a world of sensuality and madness where the lead character struggles to withhold her sanity amid the chaos and depression. A movie not to be missed.

Rating: ★★★★

Trailer: