Black Swan (2010)

Not really a pop-culture classic, but I definitely had my eye on this movie for a while. It comes up every now and then in my classes, and from what I heard, Black Swan was right up my alley.

Natalie Portman (who I believe won an Oscar for her role) plays Nina Sayer, a perfectionist ballerina – ambitious, but timid. Nina wants to be a star, but she won’t push her way to the top. She’s a delicate person – and dancer – but this air of innocence makes her perfect to play the White Swan.

Too bad that’s not the title of the movie.

Nina’s flawless White Swan isn’t enough for the starring role: she has to equally embody its opposite. But the Black Swan is bold, mysterious, sexy. Nina, despite her long legs and striking cheekbones, is not.

Nina’s obsession with the Black Swan fuels her descent into madness. We get these glimpses into her unraveling state, where we’re not sure what is real and what is a hallucination. The pressure chips away at her old self, breaking down the White Swan to make room for the Black.

God, this movie makes my skin crawl – in the best possible way. Nina’s visions become so vivid, so haunting. The film has me holding my breath all the way through, I can’t relax until we fade to black.

Yes you were, Nina. So perfect.