Black Swan isn’t something that you can simply call a movie. It’s an emotionally draining experience on all accounts and in that way it is brilliant. There have been many movies that in the past had pushed the envelope on visual and idealistic levels and no I’m not gonna say that Black Swan did it best or was the most “wacked out”, but I will say that I’ve truthfully never seen a movie that pushes the envelope so beautifully.

Something film critics enjoy saying is “I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen” or “it was impossible to blink”, implying that the images and story at hand were so moving that you didn’t want to miss a thing, that’s exactly the case with the film Black Swan. It tells an original story we’ve never seen before in an intense and visceral way. The exact story that Black Swan was attempting to convey was told and told flawlessly. I can’t ask for anything else from a filmmaker.

Black Swan is the story of Nina Sayers, a ballerina who is chosen to play The Swan Queen in a new rendition of the “classic” ballet Swan Lake. The role takes its toll on Nina and a rivalry emerges between sweet Nina and another reckless ballerina in the troupe. Black Swan isn’t a story that should be told in writing though because the way this story is told on film, even the greatest writer couldn’t give it justice.

Natalie Portman is absolutely breathtaking as the main character that requires a pitch-perfect performance. This is the role that she will be remembered for. Kunis was actually surprisingly good as Portman’s rival. Sure she wasn’t amazing, but she definitely was able to find her own stride. All the performers did their jobs and did them well, but at the end of the day, its truly Portman’s movie. She’s the one who deserves praise and she deserves a lot of it.

Now I’ll say it again, Black Swan tells a story we’ve never seen before and it tells it flawlessly. There are a lot of movies out there that are told flawlessly and its your job to develop an opinion on which stories you get the most enjoyment out of watching. What I’m saying is that Black Swan isn’t for everyone and even though it was flawless, it might not be one of your favorite movies because of the content or it might be the greatest you’ve ever seen. That’s up for you to decide though.

Grade: A