Black Swan

2010 Drama

New York City ballet dancer Nina (Natalie Portman) enters into an intense battle of wills with a talented and ambitious new arrival (Mila Kunis) who seems intent on edging her out of the spotlight in this supernatural-flavored psychological thriller from director Darren Aronofsky. Nina covets the role of the Swan Queen in a production of Swan Lake by acclaimed theater director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel). The harder Nina works to win the part, however, the more overwhelmed she becomes by her suspicions that talented newcomer Lily (Kunis) is intent on stealing it away from her. As the production draws near and Nina struggles to master the duel roles of the White Swan and the Black Swan, she grows increasingly unstable to the point where she finds it difficult to distinguish fantasy from reality. Though her burgeoning friendship with the unconventional Lily helps Nina to jettison her perfectionist instincts and find her footing as the Black Swan, the closer she gets to perfecting the role, the further her sanity erodes until she begins to experience a bizarre and profound transformation. more..

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder

Reviews

  • Black Swan is visceral and real even while it's one delirious, phantasmagoric freakout.

    Manohla Dargis - The New York Times

    19 January 2013

  • To induce a state of dread and mesmerize with beauty is a rare, paradoxical achievement.

    Claudia Puig - USA Today

    19 January 2013

  • A full-bore melodrama, told with passionate intensity, gloriously and darkly absurd. It centers on a performance by Natalie Portman that is nothing short of heroic.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    19 January 2013

  • Portman's portrait of an artist under siege is unmissable and unforgettable. So is the movie. You won't know what hit you.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    19 January 2013

  • A near-masterpiece of a film set in the hothouse world of New York ballet.

    Ann Hornaday - The Washington Post

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • AFI Movie of the Year

    AFI Awards (2010)

  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

    Academy Awards (2011)

  • Best Foreign Film

    Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Argentina (2011)

  • Best Actress

    Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (2011)

  • Best Foreign Feature Film (Årets utenlandske spillefilm)

    Amanda Awards, Norway (2011)