If there was a minus zero star for this film I would give it to it. The most pathetic film ever, bad portrayal of a ballet dancer or ballet world, for a professional dancer impossible to watch and for anybody knowledgable about ballet.
Her arms and posture are so bad that even a clumsy celeb on Strictly Come Dancing does better.
An utter shamble and distorted Swan Lake story, fiction beyond a joke!
A director who does not understand the difference between ballet and cage fighting!

This maverick adaptation of the Tchaikovsky ballet classic Swan Lake is total ridiculousness, but at it's very best. A wonderful piece of self-inspired hokum that lights up the room and with a load of big acting we're swept away. The film's director Darren Aronofsky puts every bit of madness and disturbing images into the film to turn what looks like an elegant ballet movie into a dark adrenaline-pumping thriller. Natalie Portman certainly gives the best performance of her career as the doomed ballerina Nina who is chosen to play the Black Swan in a new production of Swan Lake, but then becomes obsessed with the character and embarks on a murderous path. The climax is unbelievably far-fetched and silly, but Aronofsky and Portman manage to keep the whole together as an intoxicating experience that will leave you mind-boggled, slightly disgusted and most of all amazed at a film of such wonderous imagination. Plus other performances from Vincent Cassel and Mila Kunis add to the fun. Silly, sexy, spooky and utterly magnificent.

Where to start......a bit of a mess really. Completely implausible and hard to care about any of the characters. I thought it was just a guy thing, but 2 women leaving as i left just confirmed what i thought....drivel.It had the makings of a gripping thriller, great idea, however the result was just tedious.However i thought the supporting actress Mila Kunis is a great find, reminded me of Laura Sangiacoma from Sex , Lies and Videotape.

Starts well and builds the tension nicely, but ends up descending into "a load of overwrought tosh" (my friend Kathie put it better than I could).
I couldn't recommend this to ballet lovers (there are not enough sustained dance sequences) or to anyone who has yet to see a ballet (they might be put off for life, which would be a pity). If you're a fan of implausible cod psychology, on the other hand...