"I don't really know what to say about this movie. Between the schizophrenic moments throughout most of the movie and the erotic scenes that just seem to pop out of no where, it kind of tripped me out. It was an alright movie. Definitely not one to watch with the kids or your parents (awkward)! By far the best scene was the Natalie Portman Mila Kunis bedroom scene."

"4.5/5

I really enjoyed watching this movie and I am not into ballet very much at all. The story is much more focused on the character whose life revolves around dancing so you obviously see some ballet, which was still pretty entertaining. Natalie Portman did an amazing job with her character and showed a lot of emotion. A far cry from her Star Wars actin, this was a great movie to watch and enjoy."

"one of the best movies of 2010"

"IM GOING TO BE HONEST. THIS MOVIE WASNT SO TERRIBLE BEAUSE IT DOES HAVE MEANING! IF U DONT GET THE MEANING ...U DONT GET THE MOVIE...PLAIN AND SIMPLE! .... THE ONLY REASON WHY SOMEONE MIGHT NOT LIKIE IT ITS BECAUSE THROUGHOUT THE MOVIE SHE HAS TO BE DANCING...WELL DUH!!! WHAT DO U EXPECT IS HAS A BALLERINA AS DA COVER AND ITS CALLED BLACK SWAN!!!!!!! JUST ENJOY DA ROLLERCOASTER OF PSYCOTIC ACTIONSS IN DIS MOVIE."

"This movie may be confusing, but it takes you on an amazing ride through reality and fantasy. If you like sexual and psychological thrillers. THIS IS THE MOVIE FOR YOU! But if you are not into that kind of stuff, i suggest not seeing it."

"I actually really enjoyed the movie because it is verry profound and there are some interpretations:

1st is the pursuit of perfection, which drives Nina in the end crazy and when she reaches it she dies. It is true that she is the perfect white swan, but she loses that in the end. She reaches for the total perfection of many things. So it basically critizises our society or economic, political system in which errors are not any more natural and you need to be perfect in many ways. So our system is not perfect at all as there are no perfect people ...

2nd is that it simply plays the ballet swan lake inside Nina, she herself is Odette who is not caught in a swan but in ballet and does not even try to break out with love but wants to run herself deeper into it ... She manages to seduce, meaning to love her teacher by adapting the techniques of her friend, the personification of Odile. The question here is, who is the Odile, the teacher or her friend ... This level of interpretation also reffers to the first one, as Nina doesn t realize that she s trapped and is focused by the idea of becoming perfect... she s happy with her swan life.

3rd is an explanation why there are so many dreams. The original swan lake ballet hasn't been sucessful at first, because some major parts of it were removed and the tricky parts just replaced. So a lot of changing has been done and didn t make the ballet better ... so what the director did is just mix them up to have a ultimate modern version of it, that s why the ending could also be just a dream. He played swan lake not as what Tchaikovski originally wanted it to be but rather what it became.

This explanation unfortunately doesn't apply to all of the dreams, because some are just there to show the development of Nina or the changing of her character.

In total what the film wants to show us is that we can try to reach for perfection in one term (nina being the perfect white swan) but shall never try to combine many ones. So try to be yourself and don't get obsessed by to many opposing things :-)"

"4,5/5

Finally Natalie Portman shows us that she's not just have a pretty face but also had a great talent... first, i thought this movie could ve a boring movie.. well it's not it's a great ballet-movie ever.. with a brilliant shot and brilliant cinematography, you got yourself a very entertaining movie.. Mila "Meg" Kunis, is proved everyone that she's not just an ordinary actor... i think Mila could be an Oscar potential in the future if she's keep the good performance in every her movie..."

"I was quite surprised about the story, the acting and the overall level of this film. Be prepared for many emotions and turns in this movie but well worth checking out for me. Absolutely one of the best movies of the year."

"I see about 5 movies a year, i usually know what im getting ahead of time (action, comedy, chick-flic) I didnt know what to expect when i walked into this but i was happy when i left (which happens about 1 a year). No i dont think Natalie Portman did all her own dancing, yes the cinematography seemed to be lacking in some spots and yes it was a little confusing in some spots. But open your mind, let it go (a theme of the movie). Anyone that could dance Swan Lake wouldnt have time to be an actor and Natalie did an awesome job, i would say her best movie. The cinematography was okay but you really needed 2 directors, 2 visions because it was really 2 movies(if not more) in one and i think the dancing part could have been filmed by a dancing-movie-director. If you're a dancer, over-look the fine points, if you like art, if you like suspence, if you like to think and be surprised...you'll love it. Have a coffee afterwards because you will feel the ned to talk about this one."

"For the first time in many years I was tempted to walk out of this thing well before the end and ask for a refund. Be warned that this is a very painful and disturbing viewing experience. The scenes lapse in and out of reality and fantasy with no clue as to which you happen to be in at the moment. Many scenes were shot with a shaky handheld camera, which was very distracting. (Need a SteadyCam??) The point of view at times is that of an obsessive psychotic, with bizarre close ups. This is a pointless film that is poorly edited, tedious and is pure torture to sit through. Just awful. Go only if you are masochistic."

"4.5/5

This movie really left me thinking as well as feeling somewhat paranoid myself, which is unusual as I am generally very into thrillers.

It is powerful on so many different levels, and apart from being beautifully shot, its intensity not only keeps the viewer engaged; it creates a sort of state of strong yet long-lasting emotion. We as the audience start to associate with a character that's really not even plausible, or in any way positive. Do we feel sorry for Nina Sayers, the "Swan Queen"? Possibly, at times. But generally, we become immersed in her world of illusory, destructive visions.

I was surprised at the fact that this movie takes it to a very personal level. It is more about Nina's struggle vs herself rather than external factors. (And in that way I found the short synopsis given on the internet misleading). Yes, there is a rival ballerina, but in the end of the day, it is Nina's own mental issues and her perception of herself that are at stake.

Now, there are parts that felt artificial/not crucial to the story to me, such as the scenes in the hospital. I also felt that the relationship with the mother is highly important here, and complex. So I was disappointed that in the end, apart from the one shot of her sitting in the audience, there isn't any closure. The mother is extremely caring for her daughter, yet she is portrayed as this almost evil character ("TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT"). Then again, is it just the way Nina sees her? Is the mother still haunted by her own career in ballet? I think, the mother-daughter relationship could've been explored further.

At the same time, the acting in this movie is absolutely stunning. When Portman looks at herself in the mirror with bloodshot eyes, I could really feel the intensity of the moment, and that Nina is constantly on edge. She tries to control herself and her life. She wants to be perfect. But realistically, Nina has a very inverted version of what 'perfect' is. She is constantly in conflict with herself, whether it be the look of her own body (here we wonder if she is bulimic as well), her age, or sexuality. She is so uncomfortable, that it becomes a physical issue where she actually hurts herself.

This movie isn't necessarily about 'ballet', it is entirely about Nina. Especially after seeing the ending of the film, I think that this is a movie about a delusional, extremely 'backwards' and haunting world that Nina lives in. It's her world, her dreams, and ultimately her nightmares. Nina can't take stress very well, and she is obviously not suited for the profession. Some will argue that it an 'artistic frustration' and in the end she does the job. However, this movie almost screams "facts aside, look closer! Focus on the emotion". It is no mistake that we don't get to see much through other character's eyes. We are forced to watch it as Nina.

"Black Swan" is one of those movies that you need to see, as soon as possible, while it's still out in the theatres. Whether I liked it or not, I would recommend it to anyone who's into film as an art form. I predict lots of fierce discussion around it."