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Although it’s set in the world of ballet, Darren Aronofsky’s movie hits a pitch that would normally be called operatic. Dancer Natalie Portman is provisionally cast in her first lead by priapic company director Vincent Cassell, but she needs to prove she can dance both white and black swan in his double-cast Swan Lake. Portman, not surprisingly, nails the glacial perfection of the first, but it takes bad girl Mila Kunis to get her in touch with her dark side, which she does with a vengeance. Portman’s attraction to her dark twin takes on an erotic tinge, although much of the seduction takes place in her head. Not only is it unclear whether Kunis is reaching out to Portman or encouraging her to self-destruct, but Aronofsky blurs the line between the real Kunis and Portman’s imagination of her. As Portman’s transformation progresses, Aronofsky makes over her body, as well; she decomposes and renews in a manner worthy of a Cronenberg heroine. (The digital effects are seamlessly integrated into the grainy, handheld Super 16.) The literal-mindedness of Portman’s makeover is nearly ludicrous at times, but Aronofsky’s amped-up fervor just barely holds it together. The trouble is that Portman’s role too closely matches her own limitations. Even after the movie’s over, you don’t quite buy her as the black swan. —Sam Adams

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Official Site: www.BlackSwan2010.com

Rating:	R
Director:	Darren Aronofsky
Cast:	Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, Sebastian Stan, Vincent Cassel, Janet Montgomery, Barbara Hershey, Christopher Gartin, Toby Hemingway, Kristina Anapau
Release Date:	December 3, 2010 (Limited), December 17, 2010 (Nationwide), December 22, 2010 (Nationwide)
Running Time:	110
Distributor:	Fox Searchlight
Producer:	Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Brian Oliver, Scott Franklin
Genre:	Drama, Suspense/Thriller
Advisory:	for strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some drug use