The producers of the art-house thriller Black Swan understood the perils and possibilities of their film being accepted by a limited audience. Having passed the box office test with an average critical rating of an A-, however, fears have subsided. Ranking in at number seven on Entertainment Weekly's “25 Movies You Need to See Before Oscar Night,” the niche film is holding its ground against the more-mainstream contenders like The Social Network, Inception, and the same-sex family drama The Kids are All Right.

Having seen the film, and knowing many that have, people cannot seem to stop talking about it; just search related posts on Facebook and you'll see the nonstop status updates about Black Swan. And it's all for good reason. Watching it is a visual roller coaster, one that will leave you mentally exhausted as it runs course. Natalie Portman's character continuously plays with the fine lines of reality. The film is intense, the kind that has you hugging your knees as the simple plot unfolds (or maybe that's just me).

If this sounds like a push to go see it, then maybe it is. And while you're at it, consider the thing that everyone else seems to have overlooked: in an attempt to reach a wider audience of both men and women, the producers strategically inserted a lesbian sex scene with Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. Now, I am not an expert on the original “vision” of the film, nor have I spoken with the Director. But am I the only one who is uncomfortable with the notion that filmmakers can insert some girl-on-girl action to elicit box office results? Consider Portman's statement in Entertainment Weekly (#1136, January 7, 2011):

Everyone was so worried about who was going to want to see this movie. I remember them [producers] being like, 'How do you get guys to see a ballet movie? How do you get girls to a thriller?' And the answer is a lesbian scene...Everyone wants to see that.

Two women having sex, according to the producers of this film, has the appeal to invite the gender-stereotyped male or female to a thrilling, ballet presentation. Is lesbian sex just an entertainment tool for Hollywood executives to fill their pocket? Obviously, the answer is no. I know plenty of lesbian couples that would very well be offended to hear that two women making love can be classified as a deal breaker, the icing on the cake—the representative of the bizarre or the must-see-to-believe.

I have a problem with any type of same-sex sex being glorified for entertainment purposes, particularly when such entertainment fills the sensory enjoyment of people that see a film like Black Swan just to claim the conversation piece of having seen Portman and Kunis go at it. Forgive me if I'm being sensitive, but I do not see this as a positive thing for the lesbian or women communities. Lesbians should not be equated as being a part of a freak show.

I won't tell you not to see Black Swan, but please refrain from going just to gawk at the ordinary sex made unnecessarily extraordinary. 

(On a side note, Director David Aronofsky also directed Requiem for a Dream, the novel-made-movie that also includes a lesbian sex scene. The one in Requiem, however, is different because it is a significant part of the plot in the novel. In fact, the scene is painfully moving, and offers much insight into the character. Perhaps his previous work shows his present inspiration.)