Black swan follows the story of Nina (Natalie Portman), a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her obsessive former ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) who exerts a suffocating control over her. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side—a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.

The beauty of Black Swan is the insanity of the film. It immerses you into the lead characters mind and as she slowly grows crazier and more depraved so do you as the audience member as well. You feel her insanity creeping up on you as well and slowly sink into madness with her as well. Couple that with amazing performances by Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis and you have a great film that you can watch a dozen times and still not know what is happening at times. Sometimes films don’t have to make perfect sense to be wonderful movies and that is the case with the Black Swan because despite the fact that a lot of the time you don’t know what is going on the film is wonderful gorgeous mess.

For those not familiar with Darren Aronofsky his latest film is just another ride down the rabbit hole of his very twisted and brilliant mind. He makes you care for these crazy characters and makes you feel for their insanity and their depravity and their jealousy and their spite and you almost feel like you know them and are drawn to them. He turns something most audience members wouldn’t care for like ballet into something beautiful and haunting all at the same time. He gives you a taste of madness and has you coming back for more.

Aronofsky also shoots a beautiful and well-choreographed film that is stunning in its visuals with little effects. He captures the beauty of ballet and the time and energy that many of its dancers spend years and pain to accomplish and he transfers it to film. The movie is a stunning visual that is tinged on the edges with darkness and insanity like a fire has been lit to the outside of the film cells and is just waiting to light up the entire film and consume it.

Natalie Portman gives one of the best performances of her career as you feel for her character that is slowly slipping into madness driven to be the best and capture the Black Swan as well as the White Swan. She gives a performance that is almost schizophrenic. Mila Kunis also puts in a good performance as the conniving rival dancer who is out to destroy Portman anyway she can. Black Swan is a trip into madness and beauty.

Grade: B+