Cinema 2011 #10: Black Swan

Those of us, and many we number, unfamiliar with the art of ballet may well be put off by the notion of watching a film about sinewy girls in silly skirts poncing around the stage like some sort of human gymkhana. Relief comes from the director of this pony show, Darren Aronofsky. This American has repeatedly shown himself capable of mining engrossing and gripping dramas from the most diverse of sources. From the down and dirty world of addiction, to mind-blowing intricacies of mathematics, care of an exquisite royal rumbling costume drama, his is a star on the rise, and this work is a graceful and distressing dance.