Black Swan Is No Ugly Duckling (I did it)

First off my apologies for the title of my smattering i'm about to unfurl about Black Swan.

Secondly, see this movie.

If I had to sum up Black Swan in two words they would be....

Sex
&
Transcendence

Everything about this film is simply phenomenal. Daren Aranofsky, who has proven himself to be one of my favorite modern day directors, has taken the tale of Swan Lake and wrapped it up and strangled Natalie Portman with it. She not only becomes cast as the white & black swan in Swan Lake, but must transcend her fragile world in order to access the depths that is the core of the character of the black swan.

Pretty little princess dancer Natalie Portman pushes through her comfort zone with the help of Mila Kunis' dark influence, Vincent Cassel's seduction, Winona Ryder's tragic end, and Barbara Hershey's controlling grasp.

The determined Portman, always in search of perfection, finds her world collapsing around her as she trudges through the anxiety of becoming the best, and once there realizes that it isn't her. Aranofsky, staying true to the essence of the story, let's us know that sometimes crossing the edge is more than one person can endure.