Black Swan (2010)

Natalie Portman completely deserved Best Actress at the Oscars for her role as Nina in Black Swan. (Sorry, Annette Bening.) Nina endures physical sacrifice and psychological torture in the ramp-up to her prima-ballerina performance as the White Swan as well as the Black Swan (and Natalie had to take her chops to convincingly play the part). This movie gives us the story of Nina's psychological meltdown as she wrestles with an Olympian ballet dancing regimen interwoven with sexual harrassment (and possibly predation) from two fronts -- one is her boss and the other is her rival (who may also be sleeping with the boss). Things happen, blood appears and disappears numerous times, and soon we like Nina are uncertain of what is reality and what is only in the mind. This is a powerful and fraught film that is meant to set you on edge. Enjoy! 5 stars. (2-15-2011, posted 1-14-2017)