Cinema Review: Black Swan, one of this year’s awards contenders finally got its British release this week and, thankfully, it was worth the wait. The film stars Natalie Portman as a ballet dancer taking on the lead role in Swan Lake, playing both white and black swans. Innocent and reserved she is perfect for the White Swan, but in order to succeed she must find her inner rebellious and seductive Black Swan

It’s been said that director Darren Aronofsky intended it as a sort of a companion piece to 2008’s The Wrestler and, despite the change from wrestling to ballet, its easy to see similarities: both films are preoccupied with the destruction of the body in the name of entertainment and in the face of mental instability, difficult family relationships and general loneliness.

But what Black Swan taps into best is a subset of films which deal with female madness and split personalities: aesthetically and thematically Black Swan sits somewhere between Black Narcissus and Mulholland Drive. Aranofsky maintains an atmosphere of the foreboding throughout, and Portman’s state of mind is expertly reflected both visually and in the penetrating soundtrack of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. As the narrative hurtles towards its crescendo, Black Swan becomes truly thrilling.