Black Swan

Natalie Portman gives a career-best performance in Black Swan, and at times she's the only thing holding Darren Aronofsky's hysterical melodrama together. She stars as perfectionist ballet dancer Nina Sayers who has the chance to play the lead role in impresario Vincent Cassel's new production of Swan Lake, but only if she can unlock her dark side to portray both the White and Black Swan.

Tortured by a supporting cast of one-dimensional demons, including her tyrannical mother (Barbara Hershey), a sexy rival (Mila Kunis) and a fading star (Winona Ryder, sadly), Portman's committed turn gives the film a vital emotional anchor as Aronofsky continually pushes things to the edge.

The director scores with some vivid moments, but his imagery is too simplistic (dichotomy = mirrors), as is his take on the female psyche, and the over-the-top grotesquerie of the second half is frequently laughable. Still, you can't fault anyone involved for effort, and Black Swan has a crazy momentum that keeps us hooked, even if it eventually topples off the stage. [Philip Concannon]