Darren Aronofsky's latest film, Black Swan, premiered at the Venice Film Festival and is receiving rave reviews. Hollywood actresses Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis star in the film as ballet dancers in a New York City production of Swan Lake.

Natalie Portman's performance as Nina, the ballerina who plays the White Swan, is receiving positive reviews from critics with predictions of awards and even an Academy Awards nod. Portman trained for six months before filming began. She underwent chereography training for the her role as ballerina.

Mike Goodbridge of Screen Daily said of Portman's performance: "[Natalie] captures the confusion of a repressed young woman thrown in a world of danger and temptation with frightening veracity."

Director Darren Aronofsky said casting Natalie Portman for the part of Nina was one of the best thing about his latest film.

"She took the part and ran with it. I don't know if when I was working with the writers we were consciously channeling Natalie or Natalie somehow transformed herself to the part, but they grew together," says Aronofsky, whose last film The Wrestler featured Mickey Rourke in an Oscar-nominated performance.

"I first talked with Natalie [Portman] about this project at least 10 years ago. We were in Times Square and had a coffee at the old Howard Johnson. I had this idea of setting something in the ballet world. It was very loose. I didn't have a script," narrates Aronofsky. "And then I found out she was fascinated by ballet and wanted to play a dancer."

In an interview last July, Aronofsky appeared to be extremely impressed by Portman's performance as a ballerina. He told USA Today that he have not used Portman's double a lot.

"She was able to pull it off. Except for the wide shots when she has to be en pointe for a real long time, it's Natalie on screen. I haven't used her double a lot," the director said.