| The story follows Nina (Natalie Portman), a New York ballerina striving to win the lead in a new version of Swan Lake. Wrapped in a fluffy scarf and trooping off to rehearsals at Lincoln Center, her whole life revolves around dance. Suffering from the mounting pressures inflicted by an infantilizing mom (Barbara Hershey), an overbearing director (Vincent Cassel), and a conniving rival (Mila Kunis), Nina teeters on the brink of simultaneous triumph and breakdown. As the plot intensifies, Nina’s paranoia begins to take over to the extent that nearly everything can be read as a manifestation of her subconscious. With its lush surface and strong momentum, Aronofky’s latest is testimony to the spiritual cost of trespassing beyond one’s comfort zone for the sake of stardom. |
