Natalie Portmans Black Swan role attracting Oscar buzz

Natalie Portman's performance in the psychological thriller Black Swan is said to be already generating awards-season talk.

The Darren Aronofsky-directed film opened the prestigious Venice Film Festival this week and Portman's portrayal of a ballerina who begins to lose her grip on reality has already earned her glowing reviews.

The Hollywood Reporter says the 29-year-old has "bravely ventured out of her comfort zone to play a character slowly losing sight of herself. It's a bravura performance."

The role required Portman to undergo gruelling physical preparation.

"Six months ahead of the film, I went into sort of hyper-training, where five hours a day I was doing both ballet and cross-training, with swimming," she told Britain's Press Association. "It was very extreme."