The Black Swan.

“I had the craziest dream last night about a girl who turned into a swan.. And she kills herself.” We’ve all experienced paranoia of failure, a fear of mediocrity. This intensity is never as strongly interpreted as in the Black Swan- a movie portraying Natalie Portman as Nina, a ballerina driven to insanity by her struggle for passion.

Nina has landed the star role for a performance of Swan Lake. Her innocence and precision makes her the ideal candidate for Odette, but she is incapable of portraying the seductive nature of the Black Swan. Nina is pressured even more into her role by the arrival of her understudy Lily- who has every bit the talent, and twice the sensuality. As the movie progresses, we begin to wonder if Lily even exists. Is she just the desperate figment of Nina’s imagination?

            Nina is the ultimate victim of her obsession towards perfectionism. Her only successful attempt at passion arrives in the form of self-mutilation. Her thoughts get darker and darker, and Tchaikovsky’s twisted suite leads to a horrifying, traumatizing end.

This movie, in my opinion, is a fantastic study of the human psyche and the terrors that can lead us to revel in pain. Nina is the epitome of a struggling, pressured woman, one that we can all relate to- or recoil from. Director Darren Aronofsky creates a perfect blend of fragile tutus and shattered glass in this Oscar-worthy classic.

Despite controversial reviews and hesitant ratings, this holiday movie is a must. The intensity and drama of this fantasy turned thriller will have you on the edge of your seat- frightened, disturbed, and intrigued. Is there a more formidable craving than lunacy by pirouette?