Natalie Portman as the “Black Swan” opening this Friday

Think Natalie Portman is pure vanilla? You’ll think again after seeing “Black Swan,” Darren Aronofky’s dark psyche thriller where Portman plays a ballerina, plucked from the corps de ballet and cast as the Swan Queen in “Swan Lake.” Portman is challenged by the sexy Vincent Cassel — the ballet master– to not only play the innocent swan but also her dark twin who seduces the prince. Sayers, Portman’s character, does not seem to be in touch with her sexuality – so much so that the ballet master needs to feel her up, get her hot and bothered, and then leave her alone in a studio so she can sublimate this violation into a role. Then Mila Kunis, who plays rival dancer Lily, enters the scene. She comes late to practice, smokes, drinks, pops pills, and haunts Portman all the way past that lesbian sex scene the two of them share under Aronofsky’s hand held camera. It looks like he must have shot that one on the edge of their bed and hints at the director’s life long fantasy about ballet girls. There’s blood, an overbearing mother who infantilizes Portman’s character, a crazy old ballerina who throws herself in front of a car — Winona Ryder!– and lots of other surprises.

Hudson got a sneak peek the other night, and the film “Black Swan” opens nationwide this Friday. You may never look at ballet dancers in the same way again.