As the Academy Awards come near, the film “The Black Swan” reportedly stands a good chance of winning Best Picture. Or, at least, its star, Natalie Portman, may be in the running for best actress.

 Lured, in part by these reports I recently went to see the film. Much in it I found easy to admire. The beauty and grace of the ballet sequences in particular gratified my desire for aesthetic pleasure. So did some of the interplay among those actors who had leading roles.

 However, I found several scenes in the film odious. They struck me as prime examples of bad taste, materials that should not have been included in the final print. Some of these involved the star’s forays into sexual gratification; others portrayed wild scenes that supposedly came from the star’s imagination and heated emotions.

Yes, I can accept the main action of the film, namely the struggle between the Apollonian and the Dionysian, technique and emotion, intellect and spirit. But I cannot stomach the gross depiction of this young woman’s sexual discoveries.

Incidentally, I inquired of a ticket seller on my way into the theater what he thought of the film. He indicated that he found it displeasing. Similarly, on my way out, I asked another ticket seller his opinion. He, too, expressed disappointment with it. I regard these two fellows, several decades younger than I, as knowledgeable judges who see many more films than I do.