black swan film analysis essay

“Black Swan” by Darren Aronofsky: Film Analysis Essay (Movie Review)

Black Swan is a legendary film by Darren Aronofsky, shot in 2010. Starring legends of cinema like Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Vincent Cassel, the film won several awards, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Drama. The film was shot based on a scenario by Mark Heyman in the psychological horror film genre. This paper argues that the film is a masterpiece that appeals to the viewer with sophisticated psychological drama.

The film leaves the viewer with an intense feeling of enjoyment of Nina’s victory over her weaknesses, which borders on drug intoxication. The heat of passion makes the viewer hold their breath while watching the twists and turns of the plot. The film ends with the image of the black swan Odile, who jumps off a cliff and is injured (“Black Swan,” 2020). She is listening to the wild applause of a large gathering of a sophisticated and festive audience. The blood on Nina’s stomach from an imaginary (or real?) blow with a piece of mirror from the ballerina’s dressing room symbolizes the sacrifice that Nina makes to free herself from the pressure.

Release from Pressure is the leitmotif of the storyline featuring Nina, a talented ballerina who gets the roles of the white and black swans in the new play. She must free herself from the despair and pressure of the superego to win the swan duel and fulfill her professional dream. Nina’s problem is the physical and emotional exhaustion complicated by severe neurosis that arose from her relationship with her mother. Nina’s mother is also a ballerina, perhaps a little less talented. She devoted her life to raising Nina as a future dancer. Nina hardly feels her subjectivity, fully associating herself with her professional success. Getting the role enables such subjectivity, and the new human relationship with Lily allows Nina to free herself from the burdensome relationship with her mother.

After a party with Lily, she experiences a severe inner conflict when her superego, symbolically represented as a white swan, is forced to give up the power to her ID, a black swan. Nina, who spent her life diligently following the rules imposed by the duties of a professional dancer, feels panic, desolation, and confusion. She is used to the fact that she should not and cannot decide anything, but now she must give control of her personality to a symbolic black swan.

The habit of channeling all the strength of character into subduing desires, as well as not knowing the limits of her dark side, is the cause of panic and confusion. Unable to admit her weakness – because that would mean admitting her subjectivity in an absolute vacuum, Nina chooses a very natural way of liberation through creativity and public performance, which promises recognition of her subjectivity, talent, and the victory she has been pursuing for years. Perhaps the collision of these elements, their convergence at one point makes the film so exciting. Nina reveals herself in front of the public and does it dramatically, desperately, gracefully, and beautifully.

Thus, it was argued how the Black Swan movie appeals to the viewer with sophisticated psychological drama. Nina experiences an identity crisis and severe neurosis with episodes of hallucinations. She experiences panic attacks and episodes of persecutory mania, exhibits auto-aggression, and dreams of aggression towards an imaginary rival. Nina frees herself from the obsessive state, but the film ends with a sense of desolation, as, having taken the desired height, Nina realizes that she is the only one who has reached the top. She still cannot recognize her subjectivity in groups of people where she could provide support to others that would enrich her emotionally. The film leaves a feeling of pride for Nina’s victory and emotional completion.

Black Swan . (2020). [Video file].

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Bibliography

IvyPanda . ""Black Swan" by Darren Aronofsky: Film Analysis." June 21, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/black-swan-by-darren-aronofsky-film-analysis/.

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Exploring the Psychological Depths of ‘Black Swan’: A Cinematic Masterpiece

Looking for a movie that takes you on a whirlwind of emotions and psychological intrigue? Look no further than “Black Swan,” Darren Aronofsky’s cinematic masterpiece. This film combines elements of horror, drama, and psychological thriller to create a truly unforgettable experience. In this article, we will explore the psychological depths of “Black Swan” and analyze the characters’ motivations, emotions, and ultimately, their descent into the abyss. Get ready for a deep dive into the mind-bending world of this modern classic.

Looking for a movie that takes you on a whirlwind of emotions and psychological intrigue? Look no further than “Black Swan,” Darren Aronofsky’s cinematic masterpiece. This film combines elements of horror, drama, and psychological thriller to create a truly unforgettable experience. In this article, we will explore the psychological depths of “Black Swan” and analyze the characters’ motivations, emotions, and ultimately, their descent into the abyss. Get ready for a deep dive into the mind-bending world of this modern classic.

Introduction to the film “Black Swan”

Black Swan is a psychological thriller film directed by Darren Aronofsky that explores the dark side of human psyche. The movie follows the story of a talented ballerina, Nina, who gets her dream role in the production of Swan Lake. However, her obsession with perfectionism, her fragile mental state, and her tumultuous relationship with her mother start to unravel her sanity. The movie offers a unique and intense experience as it delves into the complexities of mental illness, identity, and the cost of pursuing artistic excellence. With stunning performances from Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, Black Swan is a must-watch for anyone interested in psychological thrillers.

Overview of the protagonist Nina’s character and her psychological struggles

Nina, the protagonist of “Black Swan,” is a highly dedicated and talented ballerina who struggles with perfectionism and a lack of self-esteem. Throughout the film, we see her engage in a constant battle with herself as she strives to embody both the White Swan and the Black Swan in her performance of “Swan Lake.” As she delves deeper into the psychological complexities of the role, Nina begins to experience intense hallucinations and delusions, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. Her psychological struggles ultimately lead to a devastating conclusion, highlighting the destructive power of mental illness and the pressure to be perfect in the competitive world of professional dance.

Analysis of Nina’s relationship with her mother and its impact on her psyche

In the psychological thriller ‘Black Swan’, the main character Nina’s relationship with her mother is a crucial factor that contributes to her deteriorating mental state. Nina’s mother is overly controlling and overbearing, which creates a sense of suffocation and pressure in Nina’s life. This relationship has a profound impact on Nina’s psyche as she struggles with her identity and strives for perfection in her role as the lead ballerina. The constant pressure from her mother and her own internal struggles lead to a downward spiral that ultimately results in a tragic ending. The analysis of Nina’s relationship with her mother highlights the importance of healthy family dynamics and the impact they can have on one’s mental well-being.

Discussion of Nina’s perfectionism and the toll it takes on her mental health

In “Black Swan,” Nina’s perfectionism is a major theme that drives the plot of the film. Throughout the movie, we see Nina obsessively strive for perfection in her dance performance, while also battling her own inner demons. But her pursuit of perfection takes a toll on her mental health, leading to hallucinations and delusions. While some may see Nina’s perfectionism as a positive trait, the film shows us the dark side of this trait and how it can lead to self-destruction. “Black Swan” gives us a powerful and thought-provoking insight into the dangers of perfectionism and the impact it can have on our mental health.

Examination of Nina’s fear of failure and how it drives her behavior

In the psychological thriller “Black Swan”, Nina’s fear of failure is a major driving force in her behavior. Throughout the movie, we see her struggle with perfectionism and the pressure to be the best ballerina. Her fear of failure leads to obsessive behavior, self-harm, and ultimately, a descent into madness. It’s a powerful commentary on the destructive nature of perfectionism and how it can drive individuals to their breaking point. By examining Nina’s fear of failure, we gain a deeper understanding of her character and the complex themes at play in “Black Swan”.

Exploration of Nina’s identity crisis and how it contributes to her psychological breakdown

In “Black Swan,” Nina’s identity crisis is a key factor in her psychological breakdown. Throughout the film, Nina struggles with her perception of herself and her place in the world of ballet. As she delves deeper into the role of the Black Swan, Nina becomes increasingly disconnected from reality and her true identity. Her obsession with perfection and her fear of failure only exacerbate her inner turmoil. The exploration of Nina’s identity crisis is a fascinating aspect of the film, offering a unique perspective on the pressures of performing arts and the toll it can take on one’s mental health.

Analysis of the role of the “Black Swan” character and its representation of Nina’s repressed desires

The character of the “Black Swan” in the movie of the same name serves as a representation of Nina’s repressed desires. Throughout the film, Nina struggles to embody the character, as it requires her to tap into her inner darkness and embrace her sexuality. The “Black Swan” represents a side of Nina that she has kept hidden for far too long, and her journey to embodying the character is a psychological one. Through the analysis of the role of the “Black Swan,” one can gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of the human psyche and the importance of embracing all aspects of oneself, even the darker ones.

Discussion of the film’s use of symbolism and its impact on the audience’s understanding of Nina’s psyche

In ‘Black Swan’, director Darren Aronofsky uses a wide array of symbolism to depict the psychological breakdown of the protagonist, Nina. From the bird imagery to the use of mirrors and the color scheme, every element of the film has a deeper meaning that enhances the audience’s understanding of Nina’s psyche. The use of symbolism in the film not only creates a surreal atmosphere but also allows the audience to delve deeper into the character’s mind and emotions. It’s a fascinating study of how a filmmaker can use symbolism to create a powerful impact on the audience’s understanding of a character’s psyche.

Examination of the film’s portrayal of mental illness and the stigmatization of seeking help

In the psychological analysis of “Black Swan”, one cannot ignore the film’s portrayal of mental illness and the stigmatization of seeking help. The movie brings to light the dark side of the competitive ballet world, where Nina Sayers, the protagonist, battles her inner demons and struggles with her mental health. The film sheds light on how mental illness is often stigmatized, and seeking help is perceived as a weakness, which only adds to the already existing struggles. The movie is a powerful reminder of the importance of destigmatizing mental health and seeking help when needed.

Conclusion and final thoughts on the psychological themes and analysis of “Black Swan”

In conclusion, “Black Swan” is a masterpiece in terms of psychological themes and character analysis. The movie brilliantly portrays the transformation of a meek and innocent ballerina into a fierce and obsessive one, driven by her own insecurities and desire for perfection. The movie’s portrayal of mental illness is raw and authentic, leaving the audience questioning the line between reality and fantasy. Natalie Portman’s performance as Nina is nothing short of outstanding, bringing to life the complex character with ease. Overall, “Black Swan” is a must-watch for anyone interested in psychological thrillers and character analysis. Its exploration of the dark side of human nature and the quest for perfection makes it a movie that will stick with you long after the credits roll.

For more information about Psychological analysis of ‘Black Swan’, including movie details, cast information, etc.. check out the filmaffinity page .

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Black Swan (2010) | The Definitive Explanation

Welcome to the giant explanation of Black Swan . What follows are the vital details of Black Swan studied, analyzed, deconstructed, dissected, unraveled, and presented for your review. What happened? Why it happened? Let’s get some answers. .

If you’d like to hear our discussion about the deeper meaning of Black Swan , subscribe to our podcast on Apple or Spotify .

Here’s the outline:

Black Swan explained

• Why is the movie called Black Swan?
• Under Pressure: the personal cost of ballet
• Nina Sayers/White Swan/Odette – Natalie Portman
• Lily/Black Swan/Odile – Mila Kunis
• Thomas Leroy/The Gentleman – Vincent Cassel
• Erica Sayers/The Queen – Barbara Hershey
• Beth MacIntyre/The Dying Swan – Winona Ryder
• David Moreau/Prince Siegfried – Benjamin Millepied
• Written by – Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John McLaughlin
• Directed by – Darren Aronofsky

I think we can all agree that when you first watch Black Swan the immediate questions you have are “How much was real? What was real? Why was Nina seeing what she saw?”

There’s some good news and bad news. The good news is there’s an answer. The bad news is you’re gonna have to deal with me for some paragraphs. But, I promise you, you’re going to come away from this article with a whole and profound understanding of Black Swan . 

To start you on that path of Black Swan  mastery, we’re actually going to begin with Darren Aronofsky’s previous movie—a little ditty called  The Wrestler . And, honestly, if you just want the shortest answer, then behold.

I’ve always considered the two films companion pieces. They are really connected and people will see the connections. It’s funny, because wrestling some consider the lowest art — if they would even call it art — and ballet some people consider the highest art. But what was amazing to me was how similar the performers in both of these worlds are. They both make incredible use of their bodies to express themselves.

Black Swan is artsy and full of cinematic tricks and techniques that make art house lovers drool. The Wrestler is a stripped down version of that. In both, Aronofsky employs a handheld camera that not only lends a rawness and reality to the scenes but also serves to visually link two disparate performers and two disparate performances. Combine that with Darren’s own admission about them being “companion pieces” and what’s happening in Black Swan becomes less mysterious.

The Wrestler is pretty upfront about how Robin Ramzinski’s career in the ring as Randy “The Ram” Robinson has left him in less than stellar circumstances. Despite having been a huge star, his twilight years are a struggle. There’s a brutality in the contrast of the man beloved in the squared circle vs. the man who wakes up alone in his run-down trailer in such pain he can barely move. We see how the pressures and demands inherent to the industry have left the performer in physical, mental, fiscal, and emotional ruin.

By the end of The Wrestler , our performer has been told that if he wrestles in the ring again his heart could give out. At this point, he’s faced with a choice between building what life he can as Robin or going out as the Ram. In his final match, feeling his heart on the brink, he makes the choice to climb to the top rope for his finishing movie. It’s what the fans want—the match wouldn’t be right without his diving headbutt. And Ram has decided he needs to and wants to give the fans what they demand and deserve.

Sound familiar?

Why is the movie called Black Swan?

Real fast, let’s talk about titles. What did they call the movie about Muhammed Ali? Ali . What did they call the movie about Ray Charles? Ray . What did they call the movie about the Oakland Athletics changing the economics and talent evaluation in baseball through the “moneyball” system? Moneyball .

Those are all very specific titles to ensure people understand the topic being discussed. Why then wasn’t the movie about Facebook called Facebook ? Instead, it’s The Social Network . One potential reason is you’re crowning Facebook as more than just a social network, it’s the social network—which, at the time, in 2011, it was. But another reason is that maybe the focus on the movie goes beyond Facebook. Maybe the founding of Facebook is just an aspect in an examination of the effect of social dynamics on people. How our social networks and interactions bring out the best and worst in us. And how the smallest network possible, that between two people, can often be the most powerful thing in the world.

If The Social Network were just called Facebook then you potentially lose that added layer of meaning a title can give. So when you look at Aronofsky’s choice to use the generic, The Wrestler , rather than the specific, Ram , it begs the question: why make that choice?

You might already know what I’m going to say.

The Ram’s woeful tale is, unfortunately, a common fate for wrestlers. Which means the Ram is representative of the whole. His story is the story of many. The final message, when stripped to its core point, is a bleak one—wrestlers literally kill themselves for our entertainment.

While Black Swan wasn’t called The Ballerina , it’s nearly the same thing, just more specific. Ballerinas dance in ballets, a famous ballet is Swan Lake , one of the starring roles of Swan Lake is the Black Swan. This specificity might seem the opposite of The Wrestler but hear me out. The Black Swan metaphorically represents the negative “other”. The evil twin. The darker nature. The more dangerous emotions. Aronofsky could have gone with the title, The Ugly, Troubling, Destructive Reality of Being a Ballerina . But that’s long as hell and very un-poetic. Instead, you can capture that same connotation and energy and meaning with the more mysterious Black Swan .

This was a long way to set up the point that Black Swan isn’t just a cool movie where a girl goes crazy and just happens to be a ballerina. It’s Aronofsky exploring and presenting the pressures ballerinas face in an industry that demands very much of them. In a sense, the point Aronofsky makes with the title is that in the world of professional ballet, these artists aren’t allowed to be mere ballerinas…they’re forced to be perfect Black Swans.

Nina’s woeful tale is an exaggerated but common fate for ballerinas. Which means Nina is representative of the whole. Her story is the story of many. The final message, when stripped to its core point, is a bleak one—ballerinas literally destroy themselves in the pursuit of perfection.

“My worst injury occurred when I attempted a barrel turn and moved my foot wrong,” he said. “I heard four pops, pulling my fibula and tibia apart. I also tore a few tendons in my foot. In the dance world you are expected to go on, so I danced the rest of my set like that before going off stage and collapsing in pain. I didn’t walk again for two months and was out for over four months…” Ballet is Hell: 5 Nightmares Realities You’d Never Guess

The themes and meaning of Black Swan

The Wrestler is concerned with showing the issues of a wrestling career. Despite his fame, Ram barely has any money and lacks the appearance and skills for a part-time job (much less a salaried 9-5). He is physically limited. He isn’t married because the travel and strain has always been too problematic for a romantic relationship. Likewise, his relationship with his daughter is in the gutter. It’s all bad. And the result of Ram’s pursuit of being a great performer for so many years. It gets worse, as he puts up with a number of humiliating things just to scrape by (steroid use, local wrestling shows that don’t pay well, being yelled at while working at a deli counter, etc).

Black Swan inverts the time frame. Instead of being at the end of her career, we’re at the moment Nina could breakthrough to the next level. Despite the difference in age, her situation is, like Ram’s, pretty bleak. She doesn’t make a lot of money so has to live with her mom. Living with her mom and the little time she has outside of dancing has left Nina infantilized (look at her bedroom!). The infantilization stunts her. Nina being stunted means she barely has a social life much less a romantic one. The lack of social and romantic opportunities means she just focuses on ballet. The focus on ballet means she’s a great ballerina but her whole identity is wrapped up in ballet. It’s all she has. Combine the singularity of her being with her stunted emotional development…and we have a recipe for psychological disaster that’s very common in ballerinas.

Some context:

Ballet is often a beautiful tragedy.  The art of ballet is one of stunning beauty and grace– it is world renowned and it’s alluring nature touches many lives.  However, the health problems that many ballerinas face is devastating…. Many women, including a majority of young dancers, go to drastic measures to obtain this body type.  Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder are all life-threatening eating disorders that a large amount of people and a statistically high amount of dancers have.  One in five dancers has an eating disorder.  Why is this the case? The “Ballet Body”

Some insight:

….dance training may produce or exacerbate some less-than-healthy psychological pressures.  New research  from Portugal finds evidence of just such a dynamic among young ballet students. It reports that, compared to both music students and peers who studied neither art form, dancers had higher levels of “psychological inflexibility” — a state of mind that has been linked to anxiety and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Researchers  Telmo Serrano  and  Helena Amaral Espirito-Santo  define psychological inflexibility as “excessive involvement with the content of internal events,” such as emotions, thoughts, and memories. They note that this inward-pointing focus can “bias the way the present moment is experienced,” increasing fear of failure, and leading students to avoid stressful situations rather than accepting the challenge. … That finding is consistent with previous research linking  ballet training with perfectionism . Can Ballet Hurt Your Psyche

When you have all of this in mind, it’s pretty wild to go back and watch Black Swan and see how deliberate Aronofsky is in detailing the emotional and physical pressure of the ballet world. The competition between dancers that breeds isolation. The parents who are desperate to live vicariously through the success of their children. The injuries. The doubts. The ease at which you can be and will be replaced. The uncertainty of what opportunity you’ll have and when you’ll have it. Oy vey.

As Aronofsky develops and escalates this ecosystem of very real, very common stressors in the world of ballet, he dramatizes the effects of the anxiety through Nina’s hallucinations and self-harm. So the reason why Nina’s story plays out how it does is because Black Swan is an extreme depiction of the well-documented psychological issues ballerinas face.

With this understanding of the external context, we can now dive into explaining what happened in the movie.

Nina and mirrors

We open the movie with Nina’s dream. She soon awakens and explains to her mom (and to us) that it’s from the prologue of Swan Lake , when the evil sorcerer Rothbart casts his spell on Princess Odette. The dream has a few purposes. First, it introduces and promises a surreal tone to the film. Second, it aligns the story of the movie with the story of Swan Lake , meaning we should look at the movie as a retelling of the ballet. Third, it’s a sign Nina herself has fallen under some kind of trance.

In the very next scene, Nina’s on the subway. A few defining things happen here. First, it’s the introduction of the visual duality. We see Nina reflected in a window on the subway, her mirrored face (purposefully) obscure as this other persona hasn’t fully emerged yet. The reflection is a huge motif that escalates all the way to the climax when Nina “fights” in her dressing room, breaking the mirror, then fatally stabbing herself with the shard of glass.

The mortal wound being from a broken piece of glass from a mirror makes sense, right? Black Swan is all about duality. The mirror is representative of duality. Aronofsky highlights that throughout by having moments where the Nina in the Mirror acts separately from the Regular Nina. At first it’s harmless, but the Nina in the Mirror grows more aggressive and scary until we get the dressing room fight that occurs right before her transformation into the Black Swan. She straight up says, after the stabbing, “It’s my turn.”

“Dancers are always looking at themselves, so their relationship with their reflection is a huge part of who they are.  Filmmakers are also fascinated by mirrors, and it’s been played with before, but I wanted to take it to a new level.  Visually, we really pushed that idea of what it means to look in a mirror.  Mirrors become a big part of looking into Nina’s character, which is all about doubles and reflection.” -Darren Aronofsky

Nina and puberty

The Black Swan Nina who emerges from the mirror is foreshadowed by the escalation of the Nina in the Mirror but also by the subplot of Nina going through the stages of growing up.

She starts the movie in a very childlike way—waking up from a bad dream and going to tell her mom about it. You look at her bedroom and it looks like a little girl’s room, not that of a 28-year old woman. We know this stunted development is partly due to Aronofsky’s critique of ballet as a whole. But it’s also there because the story is about Nina’s loss of innocence and her struggle to tap into that darker side of herself. By defining her as childlike, it highlights her innocence and why she struggles with the role.

But we see her progress. For much of the movie, there’s a sense of building rebellion when it comes to Nina and her mother. Which is very typical of teenagers and young adults. Then the whole sexual awakening sub-sub plot. God, that first scene where Nina touches herself and starts to get into it until she looks over and sees her mom asleep in the chair beside the bed. It’s one of the most awkward and realistically terrifying things I’ve ever witnessed in a movie. That’s exactly the point, too: this is why Nina’s stunted as she is, because her mom’s presence is so overwhelming it limits Nina’s privacy and choices and thus her experiences.

The night out with Lily begins how? It could have simply been: Lily shows up and asks Nina to go out, Nina hesitates, but Lily convinces her. Instead, it’s: Nina hesitates, and Nina’s mom keeps showing up and demanding Nina come back inside. To the point where Lily exclaims “Jesus Christ.” The reason Nina ends up leaving is because she wants to rebel from her mother, like a teenager. Of course, that’s the night she comes home, locks her mom out, and fully masturbates after being denied and frustrated for so long. This is a breakthrough.

One line that’s always cracked me up is how not long after Nina “becomes a woman”, she has a moment where she yells at her mom, “I’m moving out.” It’s not something that gets any more time than being shouted as Nina storms out of their home. But it’s the cherry on top of the “Nina goes from a child to a woman” subplot. Aronofsky really wanted to make sure that was clear and the dialogue communicated it.

The ending of Black Swan

Nina and hallucinations.

As Black Swan is so heavily reliant on duality, it makes sense there’s a duality to the hallucinations. On the one hand, there are signs aplenty that Nina is mentally ill. On the other hand, there’s her desire for perfection and what that means when it comes to being the White Swan and Black Swan. Let’s first look at the mental illness, then we’ll look at her obsession with perfection.

The signs of extreme mental illness, like with everything else in this movie, build up over time. We know Nina’s mother is overbearing and representative of an over-involved, over-protective type of never-had-success dancers who obsess over their daughter’s careers. But that’s not the sole reason the mother babies Nina. It’s hinted at, then told to us, that Nina has had psychological issues in the past. These mostly had to do with scratching and other means of self-mutilation.

There’s a sad tension. The mom’s trying to do her best to help her sick daughter not go over a psychological waterfall for a second time. But the mom is also so jealous and bitter that she’s one of several primary reasons why Nina is about to breakdown again. I mean, there’s a whole room in their apartment dedicated to grotesque paintings of Nina. This isn’t a healthy environment, and it’s hard to determine what came first: the mental illness or the mother’s obsession.

If Black Swan was only about a mentally ill girl finally tipping into insanity…that’s interesting for a story, but it wouldn’t be as strongly tied to Aronofsky’s larger point about the profession and trappings of the profession. This is why we have the secondary aspect of Nina’s hallucinations. And a far more sinister interpretation of the hallucinations.

When Nina confronts the director, Thomas (Vincent Cassel), about whether she’ll get the part, this is the conversation:

Thomas: When I look at you, all I see is the White Swan. Yes you’re beautiful, fearful, fragile—ideal casting. But the Black Swan? It’s a hard f***ing job to dance both. Nina: I can dance the Black Swan, too. Thomas: Really?! In four years, every time you dance, I see you obsess getting each and every move right, but I never see you lose yourself. Ever. All that discipline, for what? Nina: …just wanna be perfect… Thomas: You what? Nina: I wanna be perfect. Thomas: Perfection is not just about control. It’s also about letting go. Surprise yourself so you can surprise the audience. Transcendence. And very few have it in them. Nina: I think I do have it in— Thomas kisses her. During the kiss there’s a strange feminine soundscape that ends with what sounds like playful laughter. Nina then bites Thomas’s lip. Ending the kiss. Thomas: You bit me?! I cannot believe you bit me?! Nina: I’m sorry. Thomas: That f***ing hurt.

This scene occurs 20 minutes into Black Swan . A general rule for movie structure is that there are a few places for important information: the opening scene, the final scene, the climax, and 20 minutes in. Look at many of the movies you love and about the 20-minute mark is when the main story conflict announces itself. The 20-minute mark of The Lion King is when the hyenas attack Simba for the first time, a stark contrast to the lightheartedness that had defined Simba’s story up to that point. 22 minutes into Fight Club is when Brad Pitt speaks for the first time.

It’s right after this conversation with Thomas that Nina’s announced as the Swan Queen.

With that in mind, let’s flash ahead to the final lines of dialogue. What’s the last thing we hear Nina say, prone on the mattress after jumping off the “mountain”? She has finished her masterpiece performance. The crowd gives her a standing ovation. Everyone in the company surrounds and congratulates her.

Thomas: “Can you hear them? They love you. My little princess, I always knew you had it in you.”

Then Lily gasps. The others finally notice the wound.

“What did you do?” Thomas asks. “What did you do?”

Nina responds, “I felt it.”

He says, “What?”

“I felt perfect. I was perfect.”

Then, as the crowd chants “Nina”, white light annihilates the screen. 

That conversation shows Nina was very aware of what happened to her. She’s not some confused girl having a moment of stunned clarity. She’s a professional dancer who wanted to give a perfect performance, and she did what she had to do to give that performance. She straight up told us at the beginning, “I wanna be perfect.” It just so happens that her understanding of perfect was extreme. But this plays back into what happens in the real world: ballerinas are held to insane standards, and the stress they face to maintain those standards is physically and psychologically destructive, at best. But it can be outright obliterating.

I started doing some googling about the rates of s**cides in ballet dancers, and even though there was not a lot of hard hitting solid statistical data, the number of articles was very upsetting. The most noted dancer who committed s**cide was a 29-year-old lead dancer with the New York City Ballet, Joseph Duell in 1986 after performing in Symphony in C, and rehearsing Who Cares? But, he wasn’t the only one, Juan Carlos Amy-Cordero a principal with Eugene Ballet took his life in 2013, Tallulah Wilson was 15 when she took her life in 2014, in 2012 it was Rosie Whitaker, and the articles went on and on. Beware of the Ballet Monsters…they wear pink

So while we can pretty safely assume Nina’s dealing with some mental illness caused by her career and mother, she’s also, in a way, aware of what’s happening because she wants it to happen. If she wants to be perfect, to be both the White Swan and Black Swan, then this is what has to happen. Swan Lake is, after all, a tragedy.

The distinction between the White Swan and the Black Swan is, I think, the final piece to the puzzle.

The White and Black Swans

In the climax, when Nina finally gets to dance, we see her oscillate between two emotional states. The first is someone completely frayed and overwhelmed and either on the brink of tears or crying. The second is angry, violent, territorial, confident, sexy, dangerous. At one point, these two sides of Nina actually fight one another.

Some read this back and forth as indicative of Nina’s mental health woes. And yeah, definitely. But we know that Nina wants the performance to be perfect. And we’re told by Thomas what defines each of the swans.

The White Swan is “beautiful, fearful, fragile.”

The Black Swan is about seduction, imprecision, effortlessness, lack of control, letting go, an evil twin, someone with bite.

As we see Nina in those backstage moments, it’s easy to read her mood swings as a complete psychological break. But it could also be representative of an artist inhabiting their character in order to perform to the best of their ability and even approach perfection. To dance the part of the Black Swan, Nina allows herself to fall under a spell. She drives herself into darkness. By letting go, she surprises herself, surprises everyone else, and discovers transcendence. To reach that state, she stopped rejecting the pressure and duress of her career and mother. Instead, she let it devour her. She gave into her urges and rage. She allowed the repressed part of her to emerge. At first in the mirror, but then in reality.

That dichotomy explains the hallucinations we see. On the whole, the hallucinations serve to coax out of Nina either the fear and fragility of the White Swan or the darkness and negative energy of the Black Swan. A lot of the time it’s a mixture of the two. The hallucinations ramp up for a reason: Nina’s getting into character, and the closer we are to the performance the more in character she has to be. The night of show, of course, she’s at her most psychologically broken. Superficially, it’s because she’s overwhelmed by everything that’s happened: the pressure of the role, the pressure from her mom, the years of psychological deterioration, the mix of paranoia and sexual confusion regarding Lily. It’s a lot. But what’s scary is that this is also what she wants, it’s a choice. Nina’s such a perfectionist that in order to perform as the Swan Queen, as the best version of the Swan Queen, she needs to embody the character completely. So she lets herself be consumed by all of these emotions in order to bolster the performance.

(I do love that Nina’s dropped during her White Swan performance. It increases the fragility and fear because it’s a huge flaw in the overall show. But at the same time, that kind of imperfection is part of what Thomas tells her makes for a perfect performance. So she applies that lesson to increase the vulnerability and fragility of her White Swan character in the moments before the Black Swan emerges).

The connection to Perfect Blue

Aronofsky denies it, but Black Swan is a retelling of the Japanese anime film Perfect Blue . Back in 2000, he referenced Perfect Blue in Requiem for a Dream , doing a full recreation of a shot—like, straight up copy and paste. Which is fine. There’s nothing wrong with that kind of homage. But the main character in Perfect Blue is named Mima. She’s stalked by another version of herself. She’s trying to be an actress and the plot from the murder mystery she’s working on dovetails with her own life. Sound familiar? Speaking of sound: Nina. Mima. Nina. Mima. 

One of the visual motifs in Perfect Blue is light intensity. The first instance happens at the end of a brutal scene where Mima, as part of the murder mystery TV show, has to act out a r***. It starts fine and artificial but quickly loses that sense of pretend. By the end, it looks, sounds, and feels real. The camera cuts between Mima, the faces of the men holding her, and the stage lighting. It then rapid-cuts between Mima’s face and the lights and she suffers a mental break that ends with the light washing everything out. 

For the rest of Perfect Blue , there are moments of bright light. And it’s always associated with the idea of stardom. Whether it’s the stage lighting or camera flashes or the lights of an oncoming truck. At the very end, the character who is completely broken is surrounded by white light. While the character who has recovered is not. 

Since Black Swan is so heavily inspired by Perfect Blue , it makes sense that the last shot is of the stage lights. It’s borrowing the same symbolism that “bright light” equals the toxic pursuit of performance and the stardom and praise that comes with it. 

Questions & answers about Black Swan

Did nina kill beth.

Beth is similar to The Wrestler ’s Randy “The Ram”. Someone who was brilliant and beloved but has aged out of their prime and is struggling. Having lost the limelight and attention she’s harmed herself and ended up in the hospital. Nina has looked up to Beth, has dreamed of being the next “Beth MacIntyre”. Going so far as to steal Beth’s earrings and perfume just to feel a bit closer to her, to being perfect. 

The point of the scene is to set up Nina’s rejection of Beth. Beth was Nina. Young, beautiful, an amazing dancer, and favored by Thomas and the public. Now, she’s in shambles. She’s not perfect. She is, as she declares, nothing. So here Nina’s biggest role model, the person Nina was striving to be, is suddenly the opposite of that ideal. Whether Nina stabbed Beth or not, this is the motivation. She wants to kill this person who represents her future. In that way, she’d be rejecting her future. She refuses to become nothing. She wants to be perfect. Which foreshadows her mortally wounding herself in order to give a singular, perfect performance.

All of the heady, thematic and symbolic stuff aside—what happened is totally unclear. There’s no random line of dialogue where you overhear a stage hand say “Did you hear someone attacked Beth?” It just never comes up. We do know that Nina is capable of dramatic hallucinations. Like after her “fight” with “Lily” there’s the whole thing where she hides the body then comes back later and sees a pool of blood on the ground. Only for it all to have been made up. So having the blood on her hand and the shoe knife could also very well be made up. 

So as far as we’re aware, there’s zero definitive answer here. Just a symbolic one. Seeing what Beth’s become is what motivates Nina to go out in a blaze of glory. That’s the only way she believes she can stay perfect forever. 

What’s the deal with Nina’s mom?

Black Swan is about performers and pressures they face. And it’s pretty common for high-level performers to have obsessive parents who push them. Usually, there’s a degree of the parent wanting to live vicariously through the child. Like the parent never achieved what they wanted so they try and force the kid to do the same. But this can come with a degree of resentment. In this case, Nina’s mom, Erica, is both rooting for and jealous of her daughter. Part of her controlling behavior is because she’s fearful of Nina’s mental health. But the other part is Erica doesn’t want Nina achieving anything on her own. Which has resulted in Nina’s stunted psychology and why Black Swan is a regressed coming of age story.

Did Nina and Lily really hook up?

Probably not. Nina is an unreliable narrator so her version of events isn’t really accurate. What we hear from Lily is that she went home with one of the guys from the club. So what happened with Nina, then?

Nina has been infantilized by her mother. Part of that has been a complete walling off of her sexuality. Which is something Thomas points out. That Nina doesn’t have access to this sensual part of herself that’s necessary for the Black Swan role. It’s something Lily does have. Lily’s carefree and expressive in all the ways Nina isn’t. 

So her night with Lily is just a visualization of her unlocking that part of herself. Lily’s involved because Lily’s her model for this behavior. It’s essentially a dramatization of Nina asking herself, “What would Lily do?” The reality of that night is probably just self-gratification. But for someone as repressed as Nina, that’s a breakthrough. Having broken through that mental barrier, she can commit to being the Black Swan in a way she previously could not. 

Why was Nina scratching herself?

It’s an anxiety tick. The National Library of Medicine has a paper by Kristen M. Sanders and Task Akiyama called “ The Vicious Cycle of Itch and Anxiety “. The abstract says: Chronic itch is associated with increased stress, anxiety, and other mood disorbes. In turn, stress and anxiety exacerbate itch, leading to a vicious cycle that affects patient behavior (scratching) and worse disease prognosis and quality of life.

So the scratches are a very real thing that happens. But it also foreshadows the emergence of the feathers and wings as Nina fully embodies the Black Swan. So Aronofsky blends the reality of the anxiety with the fantastic aspects of the character’s metamorphosis.

Now it’s your turn

Have more unanswered questions about Black Swan ? Are there themes or motifs we missed? Is there more to explain about the ending? Please post your questions and thoughts in the comments section! We’ll do our best to address every one of them. If we like what you have to say, you could become part of our movie guide!

Chris Lambert is co-founder of Colossus. He writes about complex movie endings, narrative construction, and how movies connect to the psychology of our day to day lives.

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Reader Interactions

April 21, 2019

Hi Chris, Good day. I don’t have any questions, your article answered them all. I just wanted to thank you for sharing your insight into what is a great movie. I had just finished watching Black Swan after having not seen it for at least 5 years and the question I had concerning the plot and what was real and what was just imagined arose again. I must have watched this movie half a dozen times when it first came out. Aronofsky is defiantly in my top 10 directors and I have seen most of his work (I saw Pi when it first came out and was impressed but what really got me was Requiem for a Dream, which I consider to be a masterpiece). I love to read about the subtext and not so obvious messages some movies are able to provide and you did a great job in answering all the questions I have had for a long time about a great movie. Please keep up the great work. Thank you.

August 9, 2019

I’m still so confused about everything. Was Nina really the black swan or was all that in her head? Did she really sleep with Lily or was that in her too? I just have so many questions. If you could answer them that would mean the world to me.

January 6, 2020

It was all in her head. Read the article

August 31, 2019

So I just watched the actual ballet, Swan Lake after having watched the movie about 3 or 4 times. While the ballet originally has the two parts, the white swan and the black swan, increasingly, both parts are danced by the same ballerina. The few parts where the two dancers would appear onstage together have been gradually removed and merged into a part of just one dancer. Which begs the question, did Lily ever exist at all? How is THAT for a mindf*cK

September 9, 2019

Karen-I had the same thought process regarding lily. Wondering if she ever existed, or just one of Nina’s hallucinations; the ideal inspiration for the black swan. She is present for most all of the pertinent moments in Nina’s development as a character. Every person who “wrongs” her has some vignette with Lily; even the male lead who drops Nina…we see Lily have a sexual moment with him right before the scene with the drop. Or Lily could be real, but just simply a soloist. One who’s Nina’s obsession, the star of Nina’s hallucinations, the one who causes Nina to grow up and become a “woman.” Makes you wonder…

November 10, 2019

I thought Lily was a hallucination multiple times while watching. I think there are multiple scenes that allude to this interpretation.

September 15, 2019

Half of the article is about The Wrestler. I know it is directed by the same person but I don’t see the need of the comparisons between Black Swan and The Wrestler. They are two different movies. Yeah but after watching Black Swan, I have a question regarding the relationship between Nina and her mother. Was Nina abused by her mother? Was her mother jealous of her?

January 11, 2020

Watch on YouTube “Narcissistic Mothers, Part 2” by Joseph Burgo, PhD. He focuses on Nina’s mom as a representative example of Narcissistic Abuse. He has included a few clips from the movie!

October 5, 2019

Did she write “whore” on the mirror herself? Also what was the point of the lipstick, like what did it symbolize?

I believe Beth wrote “whore.” She believed that Nina was sleeping with Thomas to steal her place. Nina stole the lipstick to be more like Beth

February 22, 2020

Quite sure the red lip stick symbolized “womanhood”, or at least sensuality ( a red lip isn’t often considered very bold and seductive.)

October 19, 2019

My question is Does Nina really die at the end of the movie? It’s hard to believe that she stabs herself with the piece of glass in the dressing room fight scene. I’m wondering if she was hallucinating then to.

she hallucinated stabbing Lily. She actually stabbed herself. It’s part of what made her performance perfect. She dies at the end, just like how the white swan kills herself at the end of the performance. The ballet performance in the movie are supposed to parallel.

April 16, 2020

Not necessarily. I think that both Aronofsky and Portman have said that Lily survives. What dies (what she killed!) is her protracted girlhood, repression, etc., i.e. the White Swan. That’s why the blood’s position is almost menstrual (Aronofsky apparently told Portman this at the time).

Also, there are the practical concerns: The wound wasn’t very deep, and thus didn’t cut any internal organs, otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to perform. The dancing causes it to open up, hence the increasing blood, but it’s survivable. Thomas and the dancers run to get help immediately, putting pressure on the wound fights the bleeding, and Lincoln Center is across the street from a hospital.

April 2, 2023

It was Nina removing the glass from her self-inflicted wound that caused it to open up onstage.

I’m not sure if you receive this as a message, but if you do, see my reply to Ema. I’m among those who thinks that Nina survived.

October 20, 2019

I don’t think Mila Kunis’s character Lily existed at all. No one greets her in the dressing room, Nina’s mom says “”it’s no one” when she comes to the door, she is never mentioned by name by anyone, and who the hell would continuously seek out friendship with someone behaving so rudely as Nina did to her? She was the black swan, in a Tyler Durst role. Pulling out the very essence of the passion Nina needed in order to sacrifice herself for the art. I only noticed this on my third viewing.

November 6, 2019

Annie—Thomas introduces Lily in one of her first scenes as having flown straight in from SF. Lots of side characters acknowledge her presence.

November 23, 2022

Lily is in three scenes before she enters rehearsal late and is introduced by Thomas as having just arrived from San Francisco… why introduce her as new when we’ve already seen her

November 26, 2022

Isn’t the first time we see her on the train, on the way to rehearsal? I don’t think we see her in rehearsal. So the introduction makes sense.

June 4, 2023

No, the first time is when everyone is making fun of Beth at minute 7. She says she missed her stop, slams her bag on the table and everyone looks at her. She keeps talking until she realizes no one is responding. The viewer can infer she’s the faceless one in the subway who got off before Nina because they are dressed the same. Then at minutes 8:30, 9:19 and 11:02, she is one of the dancers who is not tapped on their shoulder. She is formally introduced when she interrupts Nina’s audition for the Black Swan (not the White) at min 14:22. She’s fresh off the plane, dressed nothing like the one from the subway, and doesn’t need to get warmed up.

June 8, 2023

Thank you! So I’ve been looking into this for the last 15 minute and this is the conclusion that I’ve come to.

Lily was there at the 7 minute mark. Didn’t get tapped in that 8 minute to 11 minute period. We’re told just before the 11 minute mark that the soloists who weren’t tap are supposed to come back at 5pm to audition. So there’s a time where Nina, Lily, and the others could leave the studio. Which is why Nina herself is also dressed completely differently than she was on the train. Different scarf, hoodie, pants, etc. She clearly left the studio and is now back because it’s close to 5pm. That means Lily probably also left the studio. But didn’t come back prior to 5pm. She was late. Again. But she’s introduced this time because Thomas wasn’t there on her previous arrival and didn’t think to mention it during the morning session. Now that it’s a smaller group and Lily’s there in front of him, he calls her out. Her clothes are different because she also left and came back. And she’s fresh off the plane as in she got to NYC within the last day or so. It’s more of a euphemism than literal. And she doesn’t need to warm up because of the morning warm up that they all already did.

You can definitely make the argument that Nina’s already started to hallucinate and that Lily was never on the train and that the 14:22 mark is her first true appearance. But it would be a bit strange for Nina to be seeing Lily before having met Lily. I’d argue, rather, that Aronofsky just wanted to create that sense of duality by having her arrive late twice and have that slight moment of doubt and deja vu.

It just occurred to me that Lily interrupted Nina’s defense of Beth when everyone else was calling her a has-been. Then she did it again during Nina’s audition for the role of the Black Swan. She was the foil twice and in mirrored ways. She was mess when Nina was defending Beth and the other she was confident and flown in from SF during Nina’s most important audition of her career/life. The point is that we have already seen Lily three other times before she was introduced. She has already been the foil once

I 100% believe her character was real. If she wasn’t, Thomas wouldn’t have introduced her to the other dancers in the beginning and he wouldn’t have said that he talk to her about Nina whining. There are moments where Lillys character even denies things that Nina was hallucinating. I think her presence in Nina’s life was over exaggerated in nina’s head because she was hallucinating. Lily probably wasn’t even around Nina as much as Nina imagined. It was getting to her head that Lily wanted her spot, and she saw her face more and more.

October 21, 2019

Thanks for such an in-depth analysis of Black Swan. I wanted answers behind the story plot and yours was the first article that appeared and the only one I needed to read.

November 4, 2019

“Who wrote that – your mother? Referring to a great review in the N Y Times – we were in an elevator going to the fifth floor in the Hotel Ansonia. Yes, I identified with Nina because she was me and I was her. Living the life of a tenor in New York City in one’s twenties – was a trip. First you were the mortal enemy of any baritone who roamed the face of the earth. Being hit on by everyone from Mr. X at Columbia to divos and divas backstage or in the coffee shops of Broadway. If you sang like a God and I did, and you were drop dead good looking and I was – you were red meat. This was the asphalt jungle. Take away the green and smell of the jungles of Vietnam and you have just as deadly a theater to play in. The psychological abuse is rampant – whether tolerated from a jealous teacher who was a flunky tenor and became a member of the New York Vocal Teachers Association, or an overpriced coach playing for one of your auditions at City Opera. The undermining comments were the same. “It’s O. K. – you’ll do better next time” “It’s only one audition” “You forget there’s a rest right before you come in on – “Vieni, Vieni!” “You’re not ready to sing Rodolfo” “I’ll let you know when you should have a recital” [$10,000 later] I was on the same roster as Placido and Jose and Eric Seman of the Seman Agency said to me with a very Austrian accent, “ I cannot speak with you now – I must see Placido at the State Theatre he sings Cav and Pag today – Cav at City Opera this afternoon and Pag at the Met tonight!” When I won a full scholarship to a well known conservatory in New York the teachers tried to dissuade me from enrolling. One was a puny little man with a puny little tenor and the other was an over-the-hill bass that sounded like he was in one of the sub basements at Macy’s. I’ll never forget singing for a closet Nazi in Augburg, Germany. I entered the stage from stage left and looked out to see someone who was supposed to be the director behind the glare of the stage lights under the balcony. I took my position in the crook of the piano. Vas vollen zi zingen hauter? Ich zing der regiment’s tochter aria! With all eight high Cs? No, with all nine high Cs – I responded. The biggest indignity that I faced was actually being barred by one of my former Tenor teachers and Member of the New York Vocal Teachers Association in front of Carnegie Recital Hall on the eve of my recital: He said with outstretched arms [though hell should bat the way] that: “You have no business having a recital here – you are not ready!” That’s why Robert Sherman spent a whole have page in the New York Times with a very positive review of a very successful concert. I was never looking for ‘perfection’ – I was looking for a performance – a way to express myself at any cost – I always settled for near perfect and that is why I was always in demand and always singing. Beware the tyranny of the weak.

Well yours is the movie I want to see!

December 3, 2019

when i watched the film,i somewhat connected to it on some levels because i am a little obsessed with perfection too and it takes its toll on me. your interpretation is just great and i would try to add some concepts of my own.

the way i saw it was that nina’s concept of perfection is instilled to her core because of her mother.she wants her to be her perfect little girl who always listens to her and stays in the bubble consisting only the two of them so that nina can focus on her career and could do what her mother couldnt.and it seems highly probable that she was sexually abused by her mother at a young age due to which she fell mentally sick and used to scratch herself,and her mother stopped doing so so that she could focus on what she wants her to focus on.her mother is obsessed with her and its clear from that room which consisted so many distorted paintings of her.there was one scene where nina saw her mother crying and drawing,and she ran to take that rod so that she could prevent her from barging in,and in that scene nina was quite sane and her run into confusion did not begin yet,still she was scared and did that.its hinted in many other scenes that her mother abused her. and that actually explains a lot about why nina was so sexually inexpressive. nina also sees her inability to express her sexual desires as something pure,perfect,and this feeling has been inflicted upon her by her mother. at times when her other dual whom she suppresses seems to get to her in her hallucinations we hear her mockingly saying “sweet little girl”,as if its her failure to keep up to those words.the role of the black swan demanded her to let lose of herself,of her so long suppressed dark side, which is not perfection in her ideals. and as she tries to let go of her dark side in such pressure and short time,she sees the so long perfected herself crumbling.but because the performance demands of it she tries to get along,ultimately bringing her own demise.but still even in her demise she is happy and content as she dies doing what she was considered to do in perfection.to nina,her own life didnt even matter as long as she is perfect .

its pretty clear nina mates with lily in her hallucinations,but whats important to notice is that she did so locking her mother out,and her mating with lily signified her willingness to succumb to her dark side which is necessary to achieve the required perfection she demands.its generally told that when we have sex with somebody in our dreams with whom we would rather not in our reality,it signifies that we aspire to have qualities of that person and that there are things we admire about them.gets along pretty well with nina and lily.what i couldnt fully understand was the beth stabbing scene and is greatly described by you.

thank you very much for giving such a beautiful insight on the film.

December 22, 2019

I just want to know if her mom was actually real.

December 27, 2019

Great explanation! Finally the movie makes sense. Thank you

January 1, 2020

I don’t think Lily ever existed. She was Ninas muse, what she envisioned the black swan to be, but her decent into paranoia and madness to be perfect makes it difficult for her to separate imagination from reality, almost like an imaginary friend a child might have. Nina is treated like a child by her mother. Lily is a rebellion against her mother and how she feels others see her. I absolutely love this movie and see something new and more disturbing with each viewing. Especially with Nina. A part of her is well aware she’s slipping but she lets it happen anyways.

April 14, 2020

Was a great article with some good references

December 23, 2020

Hi Chris, What do you think Thomas’s role was in the movie? Was it significant to the plot at all or was he just there as a love interest? Perhaps not even that; maybe just the person who caused her to ‘grow up’ in a way and lose her innocence. Also what was their relationship status? Did they have feelings for each other at all or was it all just lust?

December 31, 2020

Hey Gale! Broadly, Black Swan retells the ballet Swan Lake. So each character has an equivalent in the original ballet. To the point that at the end of Black Swan the credits show the movie character and ballet character. So Natalie Portman played “Nina Sayers/The Swan Queen.” And Barbara Hershey played Erica Sayers/The Queen. Thomas is, surprisingly, not The Prince, despite being, at times, the love interest. His counterpart is “The Gentleman.”

But if you look at the Swan Lake cast there’s no character called The Gentleman. And if you google “Swan Lake The Gentleman” you get absolutely zero responses. So that’s weird. The obverious parallels would be The Prince or the evil wizard Rothbart. Or a combination of those two. I think Thomas definitely fooled around with his ballerinas, but also had that fucked up idea that he was trying to get Nina out of her shell. But his role in the movie is someone Nina needs to impress and win over. The judge. When the movie is about her performance in a role, you need someone to grade her performance and give her hurdles to overcome and drive the story forward. It’s no different than the power dynamic in Whiplash, if you’ve seen Whiplash. Or, weirdly, Good Will Hunting.

Good Will Hunting is less dramatic, kind of. But the dynamic between Matt Damon and Robin Williams is kind of similar, narrative wise. As Williams is the judge on Matt Damon’s mental health. Damon starts changing his behavior based on the interactions he has with Williams and the expectations Williams sets. In this case, it’s uplifting. Where in Black Swan it’s more complicated and destructive.

The love interest stuff is more a byproduct of Nina’s sexual repression. You could bring in a separate character to bring out that aspect of her. But you create more efficiency by having the judge kind of be that person. Ultimately, it’s Mila Kunis and that random guy that take it to the next level. Thomas just lights the spark.

I guess all of that is a long way of saying, yes, the person who caused her to grow up lol. I think Nina probably had feelings for Thomas born out of her desire for approval and lack of a father figure? But she didn’t love him love him. And Thomas probably had feelings for Nina but he wouldn’t marry her, even if he did like her enough to coach her up and everything.

December 6, 2021

I have to say its a shame you didn’t dive into the toxic dynamic between Nina and Thomas in your original explanation. This drives her psychological distress equally to that of her mother. It’s really convenient that you’re a man and have avoided to mention the presence of a male abuser.

January 1, 2023

” It’s really convenient that you’re a man and have avoided to mention the presence of a male abuser.” What the fuck. The guy writes a brilliant detailed response and you have to bitch about it.

January 30, 2021

great analysis, chris! thank you so much

February 1, 2021

Glad you enjoyed it!

July 6, 2021

Good review. Thanks. Makes a lot more things clear.

I was wondering at one point how Nina suppressed her itch normally as part of being perfect. It most likely took energy not to itch and not going that route. And then Thomas tells her to let go. And letting go means itching more (even if only imagined/as a metaphor). Imagine you know that you are at the brink and in order to get further you just know that you need to go the extra step that will get you off the cliff. And then to choose this step willingly.

But I think your review shows this already nicely.

September 1, 2021

I’m surprised that I haven’t seen any comments reflecting what i thought was clear from early in the movie. The level of Nina’s mother’s obsession/insanity was more severe than the typical analysis relates. The duality symbolized by the Swans represents the conflict between Nina’s coming of age and Mother’s deception, hence Nina’s confusion. There were many signs – Nina was overly adverse to physical contact. Nina was attracted to Lily, not men. Lily’s comment that she wouldn’t have stayed over with Nina unless “you have a d**k”. The most obvious hint was early on when Nina was in a bathroom stall and flushed the toilet with a foot after urinating – – while standing facing the toilet – – ! Nina’s mother didn’t have a daughter, she had a son. That was not going to stop her from raising a “little princess” to fulfill her dream of being a ballerina. Nina’s solution to the internal conflict? Become the Swan Queen by removing the offending body part. Now she’s perfect.

September 6, 2021

Wow this is an intriguing idea for sure. I don’t agree with it 100%, but it is certainly plausible and I enjoy the angle. thanks!

September 24, 2021

Nina wasn’t standing to urinate, she had vomited in the toilet. She was bulimic to keep her weight down, as are many ballerinas.

December 27, 2021

That was a nail file, not a “shoe knife”.

October 10, 2022

Your right SB, I don’t know why he thinks it was a “shoe knife” lmao

October 17, 2022

I would have sword it was the same thing she was using on her shoes earlier? Was it just a nail file the whole time?

January 13, 2022

Great article. I loved what you said about Nina killing Beth as a means to kill the alternative of perfection. I’d offer up a take on your take to say Nina “kills” (whether it happens in reality or not) Beth as a means to eradicate what Beth earlier in the film told her awaits after she reaches perfection: nothing. What I mean to say is “perfection,”—the thing she’s been striving for her whole life—turns out to be nothing more than nothing. Which could explain her death in the end.

April 22, 2022

Great article! I actually think she stabbed Beth. Most times in the movie, they show the hallucination and after this the reality. So in this case the hallucination would be Beth stabbing herself. The reality would then be Nina holding the bloody nail file and therefore her being the one who stabbed her. Otherwise it would be two contradictory hallucinations one after another.

I also read on another article that Nina and Lily probably didn’t take drugs and got super drunk because otherwise the next day they would’ve been completely down. I’m not sure about it. What do you all think?

July 21, 2022

Straight up

Brad Pitt talks in the very first scene of Fight Club.

July 22, 2022

You’re right! I was thinking about it in chronological order. Technically that first scene is the end of the movie. So even though we hear him up front we don’t really “meet” the character until that 22 minute mark. I should have distinguished that better.

August 12, 2023

Was nina really the only one standing in her own way? Nina’s mother Érica, a mediocre artist herself blames nina for her lack of potential and intentionally gaslights her because holds her daughter back maybe because of a mental Illness but I think she blames nina for her being a mediocre artist and she recognizes the creative genio is in her daughter rather than burger it she suppresses it. This women may love her daughter but she is a jealous tyrant.

August 26, 2023

Oh yeah, I think it’s fair to say Nina’s mother is the movie’s true villain. Which gets back to Perfect Blue. Damn. I never thought about that aspect of the connection between those films.

September 22, 2023

Thank you so much for a fantastic and in depth review and break down! I’ve of course heard of black swan for literally 13 years now but never got around to it because I normally dislike Oscar hoopla. After watching real life prima ballerina, zakharova perform the dying swan, I read more about the story and performance. Then decided to just read about the movie to see what the plot was and found your article. Then 3 paragraphs in just decided to watch the movie and wow. I get the hoopla. It’s a beautifully complex, obsessed character driven story. And you broke it down so friggin well with important views from the director that explains so much of what happens. I don’t really even have questions I’m just in awe if this movie and how well you described everything so thank you!

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Black Swan (2010) Themes Analysed & Ending Explained: Was Nina’s Obsession Towards Ballet Justifiable?

Black Swan is a 2010 American psychological horror film directed by Darren Aronofsky from a screenplay by Mark Heyman, John McLaughlin, and Andres Heinz, based on a story by Heinz. The film received five nominations at the 83rd Academy Awards, including Best Picture, with Portman winning Best Actress; it also received four nominations at the 68th Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, with Portman winning Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina who is committed to playing the white swan. She soon lost her tenuous grip on reality and jumped into madness when her new rival, Lily ( Mila Kunis ), hopped into the scene.

Black Swan (2010) Movie Summary & Plot Synopsis:

Nina Sayers is a young talented ballet dancer who lives with her mother, Erica (Barbara Hershey). She works with New York City Ballet Company which decided to open the new season with Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel), the director of the same, announces he needs a contemporary dancer for dual roles, White Swan Odette and Black Swan Odile, after prima ballerina Elizabeth “Beth” MacIntyre ( Winona Ryder ) into retirement by coercion. Nina, having aimed for the same role auditions for both where she, gives a wholesome performance for Odette but fails to do the same for Odile. For this mishap, Nina requests Thomas to reconsider her role, but out of nowhere, he kisses her, which makes her bite him and leave his office.

Later that day, it was of utter surprise to Nina that she got the role of Odette. Before she knows it, at a gala celebrating the new season, an intoxicated Beth indicts Nina of providing sexual favors in exchange for her role to Thomas, an assertion that is never true. The next day, Nina rushes to the hospital after being informed of Beth’s accident, only to discover to her horror, that her legs were severely hurt, signifying that she cannot perform ballet anymore.

During rehearsals, Nina observes a newcomer, Lily, who has a similar bodily resemblance to Nina, like a doppelgänger. Nina, who is introverted, shy, and reserved, gets overwhelmed when she sees Lily, who is more outgoing, confident, and free-spirited. She leaps into a sudden phase of hallucinations and finds inexplicable scratch marks on her back.

However, one night, Nina goes out with Lily for drinks. Nina is offered an ecstasy capsule which she initially denies but takes it when Lily assures her that the effects will last for some hours. Nina soon starts to behave under the influence of ecstasy and flirts with men in the bar, including Lily. They both then return to Nina’s apartment late that night. After arguing with Erica, she fortifies herself in her room, and Lily performs oral sex. Nina wakes up the following day but alone. When she arrives at the Lincoln Center, Nina sees Lily dancing and asks her about their night together which Lily denies. She tells her that Nina went home with Tom from the bar.

Nina continues having rehearsals with still a delusion in her mind. She is now convinced that Lily is striving for her place as she learns that Thomas chose Lily for the alternate role. Nina is overwhelmed by a feeling of immense pressure when she finds herself competing for the role. She even tells Thomas that Lily is after her role; Thomas reassures her that she isn’t. However, Nina’s hallucinations get wild, and her wounds seem to increase even during dress rehearsals. She even sees herself transforming into Odile. Nina returns Beth’s belongings which she stole earlier, just because she wants to be ‘perfect.’

On the other hand, Nina rebukes her mother when she calls the theater and says that the role of Odette is actually destroying Nina, both mentally and physically, and she might not be a perfect fit for it.

Nina still manages to go to perform the act despite her mother’s objection. When the ballet’s second act is about to end, Nina gets a hallucination which causes the male dancer disguised as the prince to drop her on the stage. This infuriates Thomas. She returns to her dressing room in tears and sees Lily preparing for Odile. Lily incites Nina, and during the clash, Nina pushes her to the mirror, causing it to break. She sees Lily transformed into Nina. She stabs her doppelgänger with a large shard of glass from the mirror, killing her because it is “her turn.” The body reverts to Lily. She drags Lily’s corpse into the bathroom, hides it, and returns to the stage, dancing flawlessly as Odile. She apparently turns into a black swan with her skin covered in feathers that later develop as wings.

Black Swan (2010) Movie Themes Analysed

1. perfectionism.

Nina, the main protagonist of the movie, always strived for perfection. She was excessively driven by the desire to be perfect and to achieve perfection in her ballet performance. It is as if she had this thing on her mind that flawless is the only beauty standard in any field. When Lily made her way to perform the Odile, Nina knew her position was at stake, but she had nothing to worry about. Her depressed self repeatedly told her that everyone around her was trying to snatch her role. An introverted and innocent girl like Nina was later afflicted with a psychologically twisted persona growing inside of her.

Often people who want to achieve new levels of excellence face an inferiority complex when they see others as skilled as them. This plays a vital role in pessimistic personality development. Nina also faced an identity crisis when Lily was given the role of Odile. Gradually, Nina completely lost herself.

2. INSANITY

Aronofsky sent a great message through this film; he made his audiences aware that perfectionism is a disease. Nina, who was a calm, innocent, and beautiful young girl, fell prey to it. Nina’s perfectionist nature drove her straight to insanity. She became self-destructive, and continual hallucinations and delusions aided her in ultimately losing her grip on reality. She wasn’t differentiating between reality and hallucination before the final act. She thought she killed Lily but stabbed herself instead.

Insanity or mental illness is a huge thing. Neglecting it might even land a person in greater danger. Her insanity was so extreme that when she stabbed herself, she didn’t feel any bodily pain by then. This film is a powerful exploration of the psychological toll that mental illness can take on an individual.

The film is based on Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, where the white swan (Odette) represents mere innocence, purity, and serenity, whereas the black swan (Odile) represents seduction, sensuality, and darkness. Every individual has a combination of these qualities, and that’s totally acceptable. Nina explored more and more about herself when she introduced her body to desires. Coping with dual qualities made Nina slip off of reality very soon.

She knew black swan was marked by sexual awakening. This sexuality is linked to her darker side, more animalistic side, which the black swan represents. The development of influential duality was seen in her first sexual encounter. However, not everyone is built the same. She started losing it all when she discovered her “black swan” qualities.

4. PERSONALITY

Nina and Lily had two distinctive personalities. Nina was a shy and introverted ballerina who was too much dedicated to her craft. She was obedient and dutiful to her overprotective mother, Erica, and she didn’t want to disappoint her at any cost. Her pursuit of perfection consumes Nina, who suffers from identity disorder and an inferiority complex. She was later prone to hallucinations when all the pessimistic side of perfectionism opened the door. She later became violent and self-destructive.

Whereas Lily was a carefree, outgoing, and confident ballerina who was also skilled in her art. She was adventurous and spontaneous, unlike Nina. She was a risk-taker. Lily’s confidence worked as a catalyst for Nina’s insanity. However, her carefree nature can be interpreted as reckless. Nina and Lily had opposing personalities, which eventually would have led to confrontation and conflicts.

5. OBSESSION

Obsession is a very vile and arbitrary trait of anyone who possesses it. Obsession may cause people to develop compulsions. However, compulsions can take on obsessive or extreme intensity. For example, Nina’s obsession with perfectionism had no parallel. All she wanted was to perform the ballet, being Odette. We human beings are not flawless; there will be certain things that we seek but can’t achieve, and our mind is accustomed to such little failures because everything we strive for is infeasible to get, but that doesn’t proclaim us as losers. Nina’s mindset didn’t have a place for those beyond her. She wanted herself and only herself to be in the lead role, which she eventually got. But what did it cost her? Her sanity!

Mental health awareness is essential. Obsession is a mere glimpse of how distorted mental health looks. Nina never accepted the way she was, her flaws, her limitations, or her insufficiency. She was so driven by the powerful obsession with perfectionism that she lost her sanity.

Black Swan (2010) Movie Ending Explained

In the final scenes, it is shown that Nina gives in to her hallucinations and delusions while stabbing a figure resembling Lily, but little does she know she has injured herself. There are probable explanations for the ending, but the possible explanation is- Nina had two sides, the repressed, controlled, and perfect white swan and the passionate, wild, imperfect black swan, which were internally struggling between her.

Throughout the movie, Nina’s journey is one of self-discovery and transformation as she learns to embrace her darker side and let go of her fear and inhibitions. The delusions and self-harm can be interpreted as a manifestation of her psychological and emotional turmoil, which she landed upon.

When Nina is shown embracing herself as the black swan, it signifies that she is welcoming her darker side, which symbolizes her victory. By fully acknowledging the role of Odile, she is represented as a girl who overcame her fears and doubts and achieves a moment of artistic and personal transcendence.

The stabbing scene also portrays that Nina practically and metaphorically bled for the role of Odette. And now, once she accepts herself the way she is, her thoughts become unclouded. She finally sees herself as the black swan. This film speaks about how difficult it is to adapt to our true selves and how complex it is to make our minds believe what we are not.

Nina is shown to be a simple yet complex character who, to some extent, has dissociative identity disorder. Her hallucinations ascertain the fact. Striving for perfection is itself a flawed trait. During the ending, the camera zooms into Nina’s face, revealing that she is happy with the outcome and at peace. The standing ovations and the compliments she received are all that she ever asked for. The curtain falls without letting the audience know whether Nina survives from there, yet it ought to be the ending of Nina’s stage life.

Black Swan (2010) Movie Links: IMDb Black Swan (2010) Movie Cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel

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Darren Aronofsky's “Black Swan” is a full-bore melodrama, told with passionate intensity, gloriously and darkly absurd. It centers on a performance by Natalie Portman that is nothing short of heroic, and mirrors the conflict of good and evil in Tchaikovsky's ballet “Swan Lake.” It is one thing to lose yourself in your art. Portman's ballerina loses her mind.

Everything about classical ballet lends itself to excess. The art form is one of grand gesture, of the illusion of triumph over reality and even the force of gravity. Yet it demands from its performers years of rigorous perfectionism, the kind of physical and mental training that takes ascendancy over normal life. This conflict between the ideal and the reality is consuming Nina Sayers, Portman's character.

Her life has been devoted to ballet. Was that entirely her choice? Her mother, Erica ( Barbara Hershey ), was a dancer once, and now dedicates her life to her daughter's career. They share a small apartment that feels sometimes like a refuge, sometimes like a cell. They hug and chatter like sisters. Something feels wrong.

Nina dances in a company at New York's Lincoln Center, ruled by the autocratic Thomas Leroy ( Vincent Cassel ). The reach of his ego is suggested by his current season, which will “reimage” the classics.

Having cast off his former prima ballerina and lover, Beth MacIntyre ( Winona Ryder ), he is now auditioning for a new lead. “Swan Lake” requires the lead to play opposite roles. Nina is clearly the best dancer for the White Swan. But Thomas finds her too “perfect” for the Black Swan. She dances with technique, not feeling.

The film seems to be unfolding along lines that can be anticipated: There's tension between Nina and Thomas, and then Lily ( Mila Kunis ), a new dancer, arrives from the West Coast. She is all Nina is not: bold, loose, confident. She fascinates Nina, not only as a rival but even as a role model. Lily is, among other things, a clearly sexual being, and we suspect Nina may never have been on a date, let alone slept with a man. For her, Lily presents a professional challenge and a personal rebuke.

Thomas, the beast, is well known for having affairs with his dancers. Played with intimidating arrogance by Cassel, he clearly has plans for the virginal Nina. This creates a crisis in her mind: How can she free herself from the technical perfection and sexual repression enforced by her mother, while remaining loyal to their incestuous psychological relationship?

No backstage ballet story can be seen without " The Red Shoes " (1948) coming into mind. If you've never seen it of course eventually you will. In the character of Thomas, Aronofsky and Cassel evoke Boris Lermontov ( Anton Walbrook ), the impresario in that film, whose autocratic manner masks a deep possessiveness. And in Nina, there is a version of Moira Shearer's ingenue, so driven to please.

“Black Swan” will remind some viewers of Aronofsky's previous film, " The Wrestler ." Both show singleminded professionalism in the pursuit of a career, leading to the destruction of personal lives. I was reminded also of Aronofsky's brilliant debut with " Pi " (1998), about a man driven mad by his quest for the universal mathematical language. For that matter, his " The Fountain " (2007) was about a man who seems to conquer time and space. Aronofsky's characters make no little plans.

The main story supports of “Black Swan” are traditional: backstage rivalry, artistic jealousy, a great work of art mirrored in the lives of those performing it. Aronofsky drifts eerily from those reliable guidelines into the mind of Nina. She begins to confuse boundaries. The film opens with a dream, and it becomes clear that her dream life is contiguous with her waking one. Aronofsky and Portman follow this fearlessly where it takes them.

Portman's performance is a revelation from this actress who was a 13-year-old charmer in " Beautiful Girls " (1996). She has never played a character this obsessed before, and never faced a greater physical challenge (she prepared by training for 10 months). Somehow she goes over the top and yet stays in character: Even at the extremes, you don't catch her acting. The other actors are like dance partners holding her aloft. Barbara Hershey provides a perfectly calibrated performance as a mother whose love is real, whose shortcomings are not signaled, whose own perfectionism has all been focused on the creation of her daughter.

The tragedy of Nina, and of many young performers and athletes, is that perfection in one area of life has led to sacrifices in many of the others. At a young age, everything becomes focused on pleasing someone (a parent, a coach, a partner), and somehow it gets wired in that the person can never be pleased. One becomes perfect in every area except for life itself.

It's traditional in many ballet-based dramas for a summing-up to take place in a bravura third act. “Black Swan” has a beauty. All of the themes of the music and life, all of the parallels of story and ballet, all of the confusion of reality and dream come together in a grand exhilaration of towering passion. There is really only one place this can take us, and it does. If I were you, I wouldn't spend too much time trying to figure out exactly what happens in practical terms. Lots of people had doubts about the end of "The Red Shoes," too. They were wrong, but they did.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Black Swan (2010)

Rated R for strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some drug use

108 minutes

• Andrew Heinz
• Mark Heyman
• John McLaughlin

Directed by

• Darren Aronofsky

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'Black Swan' Ending Explained: The Price of Perfection

"I just want to be perfect."

The Big Picture

• Black Swan delves into the dark side of striving for perfection in the ballet world.
• The film portrays the intense mental health struggles faced by a ballerina chasing success.
• Nina's descent into madness blurs reality and fantasy while exploring the price of perfection.

Tales of creative people with an unhealthy ambition to be the best in their field is not a new concept. Whether in the magician rivalry of The Prestige , the single-minded determination of a jazz drummer in Whiplash , the commitment of a Hollywood actor in Birdman , or dueling cellists in The Perfection , Hollywood is inundated with stories of obsessive creatives. And with good reason. Stories about the pursuit of perfection provide the canvas for deep character studies while also serving as a cautionary tale about chasing success. With its story of female rivalry, the overpowering desire for artistic excellence, and its effect on mental health, 2010's Black Swan , which has just hit Netflix, is another notable entry in the category. It's also one of the best. Black Swan weaponizes beautiful renditions of ballet performances to deconstruct the link between identity, sexuality, and artistry. As beautiful as it is terrifying, Black Swan utilizes its open-ended conclusion to let viewers make up their own minds about what actually happened to Nina.

Nina is a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her artistic director and a seductive rival, Nina's grip on reality slips, plunging her into a waking nightmare.

What Is 'Black Swan' About?

The film revolves around Nina Sayers ( Natalie Portman ), a ballerina in the New York City ballet company who desperately wants both starring roles in the company's opening season performance of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake . Faced with pressure from herself as well as her overprotective mother ( Barbara Hershey ), she pushes her body to the brink to achieve her best performance. But when promising newcomer Lily ( Mila Kunis ) joins the company, Nina is faced with the devastating possibility of being replaced. She trains harder than ever, though her desire for perfection begins to have unforeseen consequences. As Nina becomes obsessive about her performance and pushes her mind to its limits, she is haunted by hallucinations that make her question what is real and what is the product of her fracturing mind.

It’s not the first time that Portman has played an obsessive artist; she also appeared as the traumatized pop star Celeste in Vox Lux and the actress Elizabeth Berry in May December . However, her performance in Black Swan is unique because Nina’s desire to succeed is purely based on her own ambitions. Nina doesn’t see ballet as a means to gain celebrity status, as the art in itself is satisfying. Black Swan examines how Nina is her own greatest enemy as she digs herself in deeper when she tries to achieve perfection.

‘Black Swan’ Is a Dark Psychological Horror Dressed Up in a Tutu

On the surface, Black Swan can seem like a drama about the cutthroat world of ballet. However, to reduce it to such simple terms would be doing the film a great disservice. The psychological horror film is a master class in crafting character-based tension and dread, with each scene building to a crescendo as captivating as it is horrifying. Director Darren Aronofsky isn't afraid to get up close and personal with his messy characters and the result is a fascinating commentary on mental health, sexual repression, and the price of success. Along with a beautiful and haunting score from Clint Mansell and killer performances from leading ladies Portman ( who won an Oscar for the role ), Hershey, and Kunis, the film manages to deliver a tightly paced rollercoaster ride guaranteed to leave you breathless after it fades to white.

Black Swan begins with a premise that's simple enough, but it's not long before its narrative twists and turns, daring viewers to follow through the distorted path it travels. As the plot grows darker and Nina begins to question what is real and what is imagined, so does the audience. So what really happened at the end of Black Swan ? Let's take a look.

Nina's Obsession Starts to Manifest in Body Horror

The night before she is set to perform, Nina becomes convinced that Lily is going to take her place. Her paranoia and mental strain cause her to hallucinate that she's physically turning into the role of Odile, the Black Swan, complete with red eyes and black feathers protruding from bird-like skin. But her confidence and passion for the roles of Odile and Odette, the White Swan, causes the play's artistic director Thomas ( Vincent Cassel ) to finally award both roles to her. After playing Odette, Nina begins to lose her grip on reality when she goes backstage and finds Lily prepping to go on stage as Odile. Horrified and desperate to keep the coveted role to herself, Nina confronts Lily, and they're involved in a violent altercation in which Nina stabs Lily with a shard of a broken mirror, killing her.

It’s hardly the first time that Aronofsky has utilized body horror to reach emotional truths. The traumatizing ending of his 2017 film mother! lamented on the relationship between an artist and his muse through the lens of a home invasion thriller; his most recent film The Whale examined a self-destructive man’s search for fulfillment. While these films could be accused of being emotionally manipulative, Black Swan succeeds because of Nina’s relatability. The pureness of Nina’s intentions makes it even more shocking when she reveals the darker “black swan” aspect of her personality. The film reveals that even good people have a dark side.

How Does 'Black Swan' End?

Nina hides Lily's body and readies herself to go back on stage, but she is shocked and confused to find Lily standing in the doorway — alive. After all, the remnants of the broken mirror are still present, but Lily isn't injured. It's here that we see that the glass shard from their fight isn't protruding from Lily like we initially saw through Nina's point of view. It's in Nina . It turns out that Nina hallucinated the fight with (and subsequent murder of) Lily, and actually stabbed herself while in the throes of a psychotic episode. But this doesn't stop Nina from performing the role she's worked so hard to attain. Bleeding, she returns to the stage to perform the last act of the show.

The intensity of the strenuous performance rises and rises until the ballet's ending scene where Odette throws herself off a cliff. As Nina is falling through the air towards the mattress waiting below, the audience erupts into applause as Thomas and her fellow dancers crowd around her to congratulate her on a phenomenal performance — right as they see the blood blooming from the wound in her stomach. Thomas immediately calls for help, but Nina isn't in distress. "I felt it," she says, wide-eyed. "Perfect. It was perfect." The screen then fades to white, leaving it uncertain if Nina succumbed to her wounds or not.

Natalie Portman & Julianne Moore Reveal the Role They Were Most Nervous to Do

It's a bold ending, for sure. Is Nina going to pull through, or are we witnessing her dying moments? On one hand, the fade to white could symbolize Nina walking towards the light as she dies from her stab wound ; or, perhaps it's Aronofsky's way of showing us that Nina has now so completely disappeared into the role of the White Swan that there's no turning back. That Nina and the White Swan have become permanently fused together, unable to be separated. It doesn't seem to matter much to Nina either way because she got exactly what she wanted — achieving the ballet perfection that she so longed and trained for. Black Swan is unique in its feminist perspective. Although Nina has convinced herself that Thomas is “brilliant,” it’s evident that his demanding nature crosses the line into abuse. Thomas objectifies his dancers and only views them as a means to achieve his art; he only begins to notice Nina when she unleashes the dark side of her personality. While Nina's main enemy is herself, Cassel's Thomas is a reminder of the patriarchal pressures thrust on women.

What Is the Meaning Behind 'Black Swan's Ending?

Whichever side you fall on, the ending raises plenty of other questions. After all, with Nina as an incredibly unreliable narrator, we have to wonder what other scenes, encounters, and conversations in the film were actually her hallucinations. For example, just how much of Nina's relationship with Lily was a product of her psychosis? Judging by Lily's genuine congratulation of Nina at the end of the film, it's probably safe to say that Lily had no idea about Nina's obsession with her. The adversarial relationship seems to be decidedly one-sided. But regardless of the women's friendship or rivalry, the real antagonist of the film isn't Nina or Lily; it's mental illness .

Black Swan takes great pains to show the mental and physical toll that Nina's single-minded pursuit of ballet perfection takes on her. From refusing to eat the celebration cake that her mother buys her and purging to maintain her ballerina weight, we're a witness to her food guilt as well as her bulimic tendencies . Combined with her performance anxiety, stress from living with an overprotective mother, and hints at self-harm, her mental health struggles have a large hand in contributing to Nina's psychosis that she experiences throughout the movie. Nina makes some questionable choices that she alone is responsible for, but she's also a victim, a prisoner of the ferocious cycle of mental illness.

While perfection can mean different things to different people, Nina's arc — and the film as a whole — shows that the pursuit of perfection doesn't come without consequences. After all, achieving excellence can be gratifying, but chasing it can be deadly.

Black Swan is available to stream on Max in the U.S.

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Black Swan review – gripping ballet psychodrama about fear, love and hatred

Natalie Portman excels in this study of female breakdown from Darren Aronofsky, the best one since Polanski’s Repulsion

F antastically deranged at all times, Darren Aronofsky’s ballet psycho-melodrama is a glittering, crackling, outrageously pickable scab of a film. At its centre is young ballerina Nina Sayers, played by Natalie Portman. She is beautiful, vulnerable, sexually naive and susceptible to mental illness. To play the role of a lifetime, Nina must delve deep into her own dark side. As her hallucinations and anxiety attacks escalate in tandem with her progress in rehearsal, artistic breakthrough fuses with nervous breakdown. This is a movie about fear of penetration, fear of your body, fear of being supplanted in the affections of a powerful man, love of perfection, love of dance, and perhaps most importantly of all, passionate and overwhelming hatred of your mother.

Portman has decisively moved out of the ugly duckling phase of her career with this tremendous performance as Nina, a hardworking corps member of a New York City ballet company who has low-level dieting and self-harm issues more or less under control. She lives with her difficult mother – an impressive and satisfyingly nasty performance from Barbara Hershey – who abandoned her own stagnant ballet career on being impregnated by some heartless, mercurial mogul or other, and channelled her rage and disappointment into coaching the resulting daughter, whom she has attempted to infantilise by filling her pink bedroom with gonks and installing a deplorable musical box that tinkles the theme from Swan Lake.

We join the story as the company is about to dispense with its bitter has-been star (and wrecked gamine) Beth Macintyre: the casting of Winona Ryder is sadistically judged. The company’s exacting director Thomas Leroy, played by Vincent Cassel, is looking for someone new to play the lead in Swan Lake. His hooded eye settles on tremulous Nina. But he warns her that the biggest challenge will be playing the character’s evil twin, the “Black Swan”. She has to find the darker, more sensual side of herself. Thomas invites Nina back to his apartment for intimate drinks. To develop the role, he instructs her to go home and touch herself. Touching Thomas also appears to be on the agenda. This is not based on anything by Noel Streatfeild.

In addition, Thomas encourages Nina to admire the company’s new ballerina: funky free spirit and Olympic-standard minx Lily (Mila Kunis), who helps unlock Nina’s life-force with seductive overtures of friendship, and more. But does Lily simply want to steal Nina’s role? As Nina’s anxiety intensifies, she is worried about a weird feathery skin-rash and becomes convinced that her reflection in the mirror continues to stare at her after she has turned away.

As a study of female breakdown, Black Swan is the best thing since Polanski’s Repulsion. But, in fact, with its creepy Manhattan interiors, its looming, closeup camera movements, and its encircling conspiracy of evil, it looks more like Rosemary’s Baby, particularly in cinematographer Matthew Libatique’s brilliant continuous shot in which Nina makes out with a random guy in a club, then wakes up to what she’s doing and, freaked out, blunders through murky winding corridors and out into the night air – there seems no difference between inside and outside. Everywhere is claustrophobic.

Of course, any ballet movie has to be compared with Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Red Shoes, and the figure of Thomas is obviously inspired by Anton Walbrook’s legendary martinet – although Thomas is rather less high minded – and Nina’s POV pirouette-whirl in rehearsal is also taken from Powell and Pressburger. But again, their influence might be more from the convent drama Black Narcissus, and the final confrontation of Kathleen Byron and Deborah Kerr. There are also hints of John Landis’s An American Werewolf in London.

This happens to be the second film recently that has used the Swan Lake theme – Xavier Beauvois’s Of Gods and Men featured it counterintuitively, at the crisis of an ascetic and spiritual tale of French monks. Its use in Black Swan is self-explanatory – it is more obviously grandiloquent and excessive and appropriate to the fireworks going off in Nina’s head. (In both cases, the Swan Lake theme is technically diegetic, in that the music is physically present in the story, being played respectively on the monks’ old tape machine and in the orchestra pit.) But my goodness, Aronofsky likes to play that Swan Lake theme loud. He’s probably right to do so. Tchaikovsky’s rich, gloriously direct music needs to be punched over, and punched over it is. Motörhead could not have played the Swan Lake theme any louder than this. I left the cinema with blood trickling from my ears.

Black Swan is ionospherically over the top, and some of its effects are overdone, but it is richly, sensually enjoyable and there is such fascination in seeing Portman surrender to the madness and watch her face transmute into a horror-mask like a nightmare version of Maria Callas. It is exciting, quite mad and often really scary.

• Darren Aronofsky
• Drama films
• Natalie Portman

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Movies — Black Swan

Essays on Black Swan

Choosing black swan essay topics.

When it comes to writing an essay on the movie Black Swan, choosing the right topic is crucial. The film, directed by Darren Aronofsky, is a psychological thriller that delves into the world of ballet and the intense pressure faced by its protagonist, Nina Sayers. As such, there are numerous themes, motifs, and character analyses to explore, making it an excellent choice for an essay topic.

The Importance of Choosing the Right Topic

Choosing the right topic for your Black Swan essay is essential for several reasons. First, it will determine the direction and focus of your essay. By selecting a specific topic, you can delve deeper into the themes and motifs of the film, providing a more in-depth analysis. Additionally, choosing a compelling topic will make your essay more engaging for the reader, as it will offer fresh insights and perspectives on the film.

Advice on Choosing a Topic

When choosing a topic for your Black Swan essay, it's important to consider your interests, as well as the themes and motifs that resonate with you. Additionally, you should consider the availability of research material and the potential for in-depth analysis. It's also a good idea to select a topic that is relevant and timely, as this will make your essay more engaging for the reader.

Recommended Essay Topics

Here is a list of recommended essay topics for your Black Swan essay, divided into categories:

Character Analysis

• Analysis of Nina Sayers' descent into madness
• The role of the Black Swan in Nina's transformation
• The relationship between Nina and her mother as a driving force for her perfectionism

Psychological Themes

• The portrayal of mental illness in the film
• The symbolism of duality and identity in Black Swan
• The exploration of obsession and perfectionism in the pursuit of excellence

Feminism and Gender

• Analysis of the portrayal of women in the competitive world of ballet
• Exploring the theme of female rivalry and empowerment in the film
• The use of the "Black Swan" as a metaphor for female liberation

Artistic and Cinematic Analysis

• The use of cinematography and sound design to convey Nina's psychological state
• The role of the ballet performances as a reflection of Nina's inner turmoil
• The influence of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake on the narrative and themes of the film

Societal and Cultural Context

• Depiction of the pressures faced by performers in the competitive world of ballet
• The portrayal of mental health issues in the context of the entertainment industry
• The intersection of beauty standards, body image, and mental health in the film

These essay topics provide a variety of options for exploring the themes, motifs, and characters of Black Swan. By choosing a topic that resonates with you and offers potential for in-depth analysis, you can craft a compelling and insightful essay that will engage and captivate your readers.

Remember to conduct thorough research, provide evidence to support your arguments, and offer fresh insights and perspectives to make your Black Swan essay stand out. With the right topic and a thoughtful approach, you can create a compelling essay that showcases your understanding of the film and its complex themes.

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Pi, Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan: Obsession in Madness

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Critic’s Notebook

The Many Faces of ‘Black Swan,’ Deconstructed

By Alastair Macaulay

• Feb. 9, 2011

Few ballet films excite popular fascination, and almost none to the degree of “Black Swan.” This month, it’s up for five Oscars. So why has it so intrigued academy voters and the public alike? Surely because it exerts its lurid appeal on multiple levels.

It’s a backstager: Will poor hard-working Nina (Natalie Portman) get the white-black double lead role of “Swan Lake,” pull off its taxing demands, survive till the first night and vanquish her rival, not to mention her terrors? It’s horror: Nina’s life spirals out of control for alarming reasons apparently beyond her control and indeed her comprehension. It’s psychosexual drama: Those forces come from her confused perceptions of her mother, her sexual inhibitions, her ambitions and her increasingly schizoid fantasies. It’s a Tchaikovsky-soundtrack movie: Nothing about it is neater than the way Clint Mansell’s score is almost all taken from “Swan Lake” material, with a marvelous use of the slow chords prefacing the ballet’s most famous pas de deux for an offstage effect of psychological suspense.

Most powerfully it’s a modern example of that old genre, the woman’s movie. Nina’s loves are seen as repressed and illicit, her successes are shown as triumphs in an unnatural and injurious art form, and she is duly punished for these transgressions. Joan Crawford would have killed to play her.

Nina has a female nemesis, but that turns out to be less her sexy, confident frenemy Lily (Mila Kunis) than her own alter ego. Yes, “Black Swan” is the latest example of what the film critic Jeanine Basinger has called the “My god, there’s two of her!” device. Nina develops her own built-in anti-Nina.

And it’s a highly partial — airless — view of ballet’s interior workings. It goes out of its way to contradict the old escapist idea that “everything’s beautiful at the ballet.” Instead it takes energy from the aspects of ballet that are cruel and unfair. Let’s not pretend, however, that those aspects don’t exist.

Let’s also admit there have always been striking parallels between the ballet classics of the 19th century and the Hollywood women’s movies of the mid-20th century. In “A Stolen Life” (1946) passive, sensitive and artistically creative Bette Davis, thanks to her inhibitions, loses Glenn Ford to her active, sexy but heartless twin — played, of course, by Bette Davis. In “Random Harvest” (1942) amnesiac Ronald Colman realizes only at the end that his perfect but cool, unyielding wife, Greer Garson, is also the warm, outgoing and devoted woman whom he married in the love-filled other life long buried in his subconscious. Resemblances between these absurd but deeply enjoyable movies and the full-length “Swan Lake” are easy to spot.

Likewise “Black Swan’s” alter-ego rivalries and divided-ego visions connect intimately to the good-bad, white-black, active-passive Odette-Odile heroines of “Swan Lake.” First Nina is told she doesn’t have it in her to be both the white swan and the black. Eventually, however, it’s disconcerting how much of the contrasting heroines she does contain.

Nina sometimes sees her anti-Nina in the mirror. Ballet has been obsessed with mirrors for centuries, and not just in works like August Bournonville’s “Ventana” (1856) and Jerome Robbins’s “Afternoon of a Faun” (1953). Dancers often spend more of their time in front of the mirror than before an audience, and it’s in the mirror that they see both the ideal versions of themselves they hope to show the public as well as their own failings.

In “Black Swan” Nina’s mirror-image starts to take on an independent life. Away from the classroom Nina continually sees this doppelgänger acting out her hopes and horrors. At the climax of a lesbian fantasy Nina’s lover Lily turns into Nina’s lover Nina: a radical rewrite of the old idea of the dancer as Narcissus.

If Nina is a narcissist, however, she is appalled by it. More obviously she is a self-tormentor. I wish this view of ballet were a lie, but it’s not. It is, though, far from being the whole truth. The “Black Swan” screenplay has surely been prompted by a number of dancers’ memoirs — Gelsey Kirkland’s 1986 best seller, “Dancing on My Grave,” is just the most famous — to convey its neurotic version of the internal life of ballet.

Nina could learn from a dancer she invokes in a dressing-room scene: Margot Fonteyn. In her 1975 “Autobiography” that most reasonable of superstar ballerinas emphasized the crucial distinction between taking work seriously (“imperative”) and taking oneself seriously (“disastrous”). Yet “Black Swan” could have been inspired by elements of Fonteyn’s own story: She wrote emphatically of the “terror” with which she faced every performance of “Swan Lake” (whose central role she danced for some 35 years), and how, after Frederick Ashton told her everything that was missing at the dress rehearsal for his new ballet “Apparitions,” she found “by some alchemy of despair” the artistry to rise to the work’s demands .

One book about Fonteyn quotes her as saying, “I’m sure if everyone knew how physically cruel dancing really is, nobody would watch — only those people who enjoy bullfights!” For some dancers it is the hips that take most strain; some, the spine; for Fonteyn and others it was the feet. “Black Swan” offers just enough imagery to show us why pointwork in ballet can seem as extreme and punitive as the old Chinese custom of binding women’s feet.

Though “Black Swan” certainly feels hostile to ballet, I don’t think it means to be. Its real objective — above and beyond that of so many women’s movies — is to imply that a woman’s truest fulfillment is as (heterosexual) lover, wife and mother, and therefore that Nina’s best artistic successes can never compensate for her personal sacrifices. The “Black Swan” view of ballet is that it’s an unnatural art in which women deny too many normal aspects of womanhood.

There is copious evidence to support that view. Witness such dancer autobiographies as Ms. Kirkland’s and Toni Bentley’s “Winter Season” (1982). Ms. Bentley describes how, when she has her third monthly period in a row, colleagues in her dressing room ask, “Are you sure you’re a dancer?” True dancers, according to that attitude, don’t have normal female functions.

To these negatives ballet brings many positives: energy, responsiveness to music, discipline, teamwork, idealism, interpretative fulfillment. Not so “Black Swan.” It’s both irresistible and odious. I was gripped by its melodrama, but its nightmarish view of both ballet and women is not one I’m keen to see again. As a horror movie, it’s not extreme. As a woman’s movie, however, it’s the end of the line.

Most depressingly, Nina is just not a great role. She’s too much a victim — the film makes her helpless, passive — to be seriously involving. Though she enjoys triumph, we never see the willpower that gets her there, just the psychosis and the martyrdom. It’s the latest hit movie for misogynists.

“The Red Shoes” (1948) — to which “Black Swan” owes so much — actually had more psychological depth. Its ballerina heroine found both fame and love, and her torment came from choosing between them. That’s a highly ambiguous attitude toward ballet — she cannot permanently reconcile dance and love — but you can see why it inspired thousands of girls to take up the art. The “Black Swan” idea of ballet is narrower: obsession, torment, inadequacy, paranoia, delusion.

Those things aren’t absent from ballet (or womanhood or life). And so Nina’s interior and exterior lives here spin together into a compelling vortex.

Will “Black Swan” follow “The Red Shoes” in inspiring a new generation of young dancers? Unlikely. It will, however, draw many to “Swan Lake,” to check out the ballet at the heart of the movie. What will they see?

Surely it’s time to go back to staging “Swan Lake” as it used to be before the 1940s, with no black swan at all, but with the antiheroine Odile dressed in strong colors, as a woman of the world. Her seductions lie in seeming not demonic but glamorously — if deceptively — available, unlike the withheld Odette. No ballet of the 19th century goes further into true tragedy: Odette the Swan Queen takes heroic responsibility for herself and also her flock of swan-maidens.

Alas, companies go on presenting “Swan Lake” as a crude choice between a good, loyally loving but passive victim and an evil, active and vampishly duplicitous sorceress. And ballet goes on abounding in sexist, melodramatic clichés. While this remains so, “Black Swan” is the ballet movie our era deserves.

Stepping Into the World of Dance

“We the People,” Jamar Roberts’s first dance for the Martha Graham Dance Company, finds the rage and resistance  hidden in an upbeat score by Rhiannon Giddens.

In “Nail Biter,” a New York City premiere, the exacting choreographer Beth Gill explores her ballet roots  and how to be in her body now.

The choreographer Emma Portner, who has spent her career mixing genres and disciplines , comes to ballet with an eye on its sometimes calcified gender relations.

A childhood encounter with an American soldier in Iraq led Hussein Smko to become a dancer. Now the artist performs on New York stages .

“Deep River” is in many ways an apt title for a dance work by Alonzo King, a choreographer fixated on flow .

Robert Garland has held many positions at Dance Theater of Harlem over many years. At long last, he has caught the most prized title: artistic director .

Home Essay Examples Entertainment Black Swan

Camera And Composition In Black Swan Film: Film Analysis

• Category Entertainment , Technology
• Subcategory Movies , Digital Devices
• Topic Black Swan , Camera , Film Analysis

Introduction

Black Swan is about a ballet dancer who wins the lead role of the swan queen that requires to dance as both the sweet white and evil black swans. Though she wants to dance as the black swan, it is a challenge to her because it requires dark passion that is beyond her technique. The protagonist, Nina Sayers, slowly loses her mind as the black swan torments her for control, in which then she becomes more like the black swan and eventually dances the part.

Black Swan a psychological thriller directed by Darren Aronofsky and released in 2010, starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel amongst its principal cast. The storyline revolves around the main protagonist, Nina Sayers, a ballerina who faces the pressures of embodying both Odette (the White Swan) and Odile (the Black Swan), who she particularly struggles with, for a production of Swan Lake in her ballet company. This essay focusses on one of the climatic opening scene of the film, specifically wherein it is evident that she has finally “let go” and has successfully personified the Black Swan, both in body and mind. As she performs x, it is a combination of different elements of mise-en-scène, namely acting and costume, lighting, props and sets and setting that contribute to the depiction of the central theme of the film — her identification and awaited embodiment of the Black Swan. Furthermore, an analysis of the cinematography, sound and editing (namely special effects) similarly contribute to Nina’s characterization and the drastic, impassioned transformation she undergoes in the heart of this scene.

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This scene provides a beautiful introduction to an artistic film. Through very minimal use of props, décor, actors, location, and through a concentration of light, camera work, color use, and music, the director succeeds in revealing the actions that are to follow in the film. The ballerina is young and innocent, she is dancing in swan lake, she comes across an evil dark force that changes her life and messes up her innocence, and then she slowly and sadly dances off into the light (or by the end of the film, to death). The role of the dancer as the white swan is symbolic of its importance throughout the film.

The sequence starts with a black screen and white font, this allows the credits to stand out however it also creates a simplistic dark image, commonly used in opening sequences for many thrillers. The sequence then goes on to a series of shots of lines being drawn. The chalk is black rather than colourful connoting death and dark scary images. This portrays the main plot of the film and shows an example of a common convention found in thriller films. In each shot the mise-en-scene shows the hand drawing in different ways and directions making it ambiguous; it is unknown as to what is being drawn and who is drawing it. This portrays a common convention of physiological thrillers. That convention being the creation of mystery and the idea of the unknown. As the opening sequence progresses the speed of the drawing increases and the lines become disjointed and messy. This could suggest the drawer is getting angry or frustrated and is channelling this through their actions. This gives the audience as insight as to what sort of emotions there are to be expected in the film. The sequence finishes with a black scribbled piece of paper. This juxtaposes with the idea first perceived at the beginning of the sequence, when we see lines being drawn in a careful manner. From that we expect to see an intricate drawing, however the drawing progresses to be messy and scribbled. This could symbolise the plot of the story: it could start peaceful and end in chaos, or it could represent the emotions of a character. The audience however do not know what is to come if it is there first time watching, making it ambiguous and mysterious. This sequence makes it clear it is a physiological thriller through the idea of the unknown and the feeling of mystery.

Camera/editing

Certain camera shots and angles are used to create more tension throughout the dramatic opening dance. A long mid shot is used at the start of the scene to show Swan Lake, she is the only object in the scene. The opening shot is quite long. The scene then cuts to a close up of the characters feet in ballet shoes as she’s dancing. The camera tracks her feet as she dances. This continues until a mid- shot is used to show Swan Lake sitting down then a long shot from behind her is used to show the black swan’s view of her. This angle makes her look vulnerable. A mixture of mid shots and close ups are used to show the characters emotion and facial expressions. The camera tracks the two dancers so that the audience can see the whole dance in detail.

The first shot is a wide and establishing shot, showing the female character alone in a obscure place giving the audience a strange idea and wanting them to know what’s going to happen next. The camera then goes into a close up tracking shot of the character’s feet showing her dancing, the fact that we only see her feet create a suspense as we don’t know who she is and how she looks. She dances in and out of the darkness, which represents danger. Then we have a hand-held shot, showing the male character surrounded by the dark creating an atmosphere of danger and tension for the audience, as they are now seeing the scene from someone’s point of view. Afterwards the camera zooms in to a close up shot of the female’s face, showing her facial expressions and allowing the audience to feel her emotion. After that the camera turns into full 360 degrees multiple times, which makes the audience feel confused of what’s happening.

This opening clip is plain and simple throughout, however still allows the audience to see what kind of character Nina is. Opening with a black background, white serif font slowly fades in and out, the title ‘Black Swan’ being the last text to appear, bolder and centralized. This is followed by a long shot of Nina in the center of a stage, the backdrop remaining black, with only one dim spotlight shining on her. This highlights her importance in the film, as she is the first character the audience see. As well as this the fact that the spotlight is dim is adding to the mystery of this scene however also connoting that Nina isn’t entirely happy. The audience then go on to see a close up of her feet, highlighting that she is a dancer, however also reinforcing her elegance and pureness as these traits are usually associated with ballet. The camera continues to follow Nina’s feet as she dances, then uses a medium shot as she finishes her dance and gently sits on the floor. The audience then see a long shot of a man, coming from behind Nina in the dark, the spotlight remaining on Nina in order to create mystery as the man cannot be clearly seen. As the man reaches Nina a close up of her face is shown reinforcing her facial expression, being scared and shocked. The camera then follows them both as they dance, circling around their movement. In this opening sequence both characters go through costume changes. The camera uses medium shots to present this to the audience, first the man spins around changing costume, followed by Nina. After Nina has gone through her costume change, the man disappears from the stage, leaving Nina back in the center under the spotlight. As her dancing becomes slower and gentler, the camera slowly zooms out from Nina, leaving her in the center of the stage and highlighting her now as the White Swan. Sound and music work interdependently for the purpose of conveying the effect of Nina’s transformation on her psyche.

Sound/Music

All the way through the clip the non diegetic music follows the action, so when things get intense the music goes into a crescendo and builds tension for the audience, it then turns into diegetic music as she goes on stage and dances. It then fades out and leaves the audience with the soft tinkling melody as she dies. The diegetic sounds of applause and cheering contrasts to what’s actually happening off stage and her last breath is then heard in time with the final cut of the scene finishing the clip beautifully.

The scene starts of with a non-diegetic sound of strings instruments creating a classical aspect. The fact that the music is slow and dark create suspenseful atmosphere. As the male character enters the scene, percussions are been added suggesting that something evil and dangerous is going to happen which puts the audience again into suspense. The music slowly speeds up as the male character changes costume; the music is more dramatic and intense creating a thrilling, suspense atmosphere.

Throughout this opening most of the sound is non-diagetic. As the text starts to slowly fade classical music is played, slow placed and gentle, creating a calm feel for the audience. However as the title ‘Black Swan’ appears, sounds similar to wind are heard by the audience, creating an eery atmosphere. As well as this a quiet evil laugh is used to create tension. As Nina starts to dance the music remains classical, however the volume increases. The first non diagetic sound is heard by audience when Nina gasps, reinforcing the fear she feels from the man. As the two characters start to dance quickly together the music volume increases and becomes more powerful than before. Additionally diagetic sound effects are used as the characters change costume, becoming more dramatic and alarming, creating a tense atmosphere for the audience. On the other hand non-diagetic sounds such as wings flapping are used, reinforcing Nina’s transformation into the White Swan. As the camera zooms away from Nina, the music becomes calmer and quieter, linking to the slowing pace of her dancing. The physical set works correlatively with the psychological setting of her mind.

Mise-en-scene

The dichotomy of black and white was shown in the setting and characters and the illusions that appeared to the protagonist, indicating the hallucinations from her insanity. Aronofsky uses this technique to contrast black and white to symbolize darkness of characters that opposed to Nina by aggression or seduction. The Black Swan was corrupting her slowly and she was tormented by illusions. An insight of insanity, it was a metaphor by delving into her mind as the anger and aggression surfaced when the illusions depicted her evolution.

The mise en scene in Black Swan uses many conventions of a thriller genre, for e.g. the color of the lighting is black and white contrasting the characters costume which suggest good and evil and creates a mysterious theme towards the audience. The female character’s dress and ballet shoes show her as a ballerina, the white color of her dress symbolizes her innocence and goodness. When her costume changes, it is more feathered this might suggest that at last she has freedom or might show her that she more powerful to fight evil or simply her transformation to a swan as the title is named “Black Swan” The male character’s costume is mostly obscured and dark by the lighting. When he changes, the costume has also feathers and wings, which shows him as an evil character

Throughout this opening sequence the setting stays very much the same, being simple and plain. The main colours that are used are blacks and whites, the stage being black and the only light source being the spotlight. These dull colours are used to reinforce Nina’s importance and elegance, ensuring that she is the main focus for the audience. At the beginning of the clip Nina is wearing a white ballet dress, immediately symbolizing purity and innocence to the audience. As well as this her satin ballet shoes reinforce this purity, connoting to the audience what Nina is like as a character. On the other hand when the man appears in this opening he is wearing black, usually symbolizing death and danger, which also reinforces the mystery for the audience. Furthermore the costume changes for the two characters are also very different. The man’s costume could be seen as a monster, with large black feathers and horns. However Nina’s costume change is a white feathery dress, including a delicate white tutu and a white headband, letting the audience know that Nina has transformed into the White Swan. The relationship between postproduction (specifically editing), props and sound is integral for the effect of Nina’s performance on her self-image and the audience.

Title Sequence

The title sequence for the Black Swan is very simple and plain, yet still effective. The text is in capital white serif font, contrasting with the black background. These two colours could be used to represent the Black and White Swan characters in this film. As well as this the font being elegant and feminine links in to the femininity of Nina in the opening scene. The titles slowly fade in and out with the slow classical music played at the start. As the title sequence comes to an end the final title ‘Black Swan’ fades in, in the center of the screen, being much bolder and bigger than the previous texts. This effect is used in order to focus the audience on the title and create a slow and mysterious opening to the film.

Conclusion:

In addition, the camera and composition is masterfully executed to portray calm and chaos when necessary. The music supports the camera work by instigating emotion, ups and downs, and suspense. The lighting concentrates only the ballerina because she is the center of the film and it does a great job at portraying the stark difference between the dark/ evil and white/ innocence. The location of the empty theater portrays that this chaotic fight is internal and from the next scene the audience understands it is also a dream. The mise-en-scene is very powerful and important in this opening scene and sets up the rest of the film.

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Black Swan (2010 Film) Essay Questions

By darren aronofsky, essay questions.

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What is the one thing that Nina is most eager to attain?

Nina is after the prima ballerina spot in the ballet company. She wants to be the best, but most of all she wants to be perfect. Nina desires to be flawless in her technique and every aspect of her dancing, but it is her need to be perfect which causes her to hold on so tightly and keeps her from achieving the next level of performance as she is unable to let go.

How is Nina stabbed?

Nina, at the end of her performance is seen losing massive amounts of blood. She has been stabbed...by herself. Earlier in the film she has an encounter with Lily who turns into Nina's doppelganger and she has a fight with her which leads to a smashed mirror and eventually to Nina stabbing the doppelganger, which is actually herself.

What does Lily represent in the film?

Lily has been brought on to be Nina's understudy for the lead role in Swan Lake. She has a quality that Nina does not, which is she is able to dance in a way that is uninhibited. Thus, she represents a quality that Nina does not possess, but needs in order to become the Black Swan, freedom from perfection.

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Black Swan (2010 Film) Questions and Answers

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Study Guide for Black Swan (2010 Film)

Black Swan (2010 Film) study guide contains a biography of director Darren Aronofsky, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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Black Swan (2010 Film) essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Black Swan (2010 Film), directed by Darren Aronofsky.

• The Double Entendre of Doubles: An Exploration of Doppelgängers in 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' and 'Black Swan'
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Lacan, 'The Mirror Stage' and Subjectivity: A Psychoanalytic Reading of Black Swan

Black swan directed by Darren Aronosky is a critically acclaimed movie which bagged multiple awards at the Oscars. The movie revolves around a timid and nervous Ballerina, Nina who desperately competes to bag the role of the swan queen. This struggle however is marked by images of mutilation, anguish and emotional and psychological upheaval. This paper purports to argue that behind this seemingly simple tale of aspiration, failure and success one can perceive a more complicated narrative of acquisition of subjectivity. An attempt has been made to read Black Swan through the prism of Lacan's initial postulations to answer questions such as: Why is there a predominance of reflective surfaces such as mirrors in the movie? How does it tie with Lacan's conception of the constitution of the subject? Is 'othering' constitutive of the subject? How does the movie portray the latter? Lastly and most importantly how does one understand Nina's death in the light of these que...

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This study explores the construction of the male gaze and the absence/presence of the female gaze in the film, drawing on Laura Mulvey's concept of the passive female figure meant to be observed by the active male viewer. The analysis focuses on the depiction of Nina, the film's protagonist, as a passive object of desire, constantly under scrutiny and lacking agency. The paper also delves into the film's portrayal of Nina's engagement with mirrors, symbolizing her fragmented self and the dominance of the Imaginary realm. The absence of the Symbolic order in the film is highlighted, reinforcing Nina's struggles with identity and external expectations. Additionally, the intrusion of the Real is explored, depicting traumatic experiences and the emergence of repressed desires. Through its cinematic techniques and narrative choices, "Black Swan" effectively reflects Nina's psyche and delves into themes of gender dynamics, identity, and psychological transformation.

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The acquisition of a corporeal sense of self, central to the formation of a balanced identity, is often barred in the Western world by women’s internalization of somatophobia. Drawing on theories of gender and corporeality, my contribution focuses on the representation and implications of eating disorders and deliberate self-harm practices as portrayed in Darren Aronofsky’s feature film Black Swan (2010). Protagonist Nina Sayers is rendered as a perfectionist workaholic whose compulsions include scratching and peeling off her skin. Her yearning for professional success is but an extra burden over and above her virginal sexual repression and her claustrophobic family environment. My main contention is that, beyond the psycho-sexual thriller cliché and the rather obvious metalepses between film and ballet, Aronofsky’s movie can be read as a denunciation of the lethal struggle some women undergo in their desperate attempts to transcend both their corporeality and the negative values attached to the female body, i.e. as that which clutters the mind with hungers and desires, barring them from “perfection.”

The International Journal of Psychoanalysis

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This is a summary of the version of Lacan's paper presented in The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism, 2001. This is intended as an aide for students of literary criticism, to make it easier for them to comprehend a source often considered incomprehensible. This summary was written in 2009.

Capture : Jurnal Seni Media Rekam

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Black Swan is a psychological horror movie by Darren Aronofsky. This movie tells of a ballerina named Nina Sayers, who desires to be a perfect ballerina. On her way to achieving her desire, Nina experiences psychological problems where she often hallucinates and even hurts herself. It results from Nina’s anxiety that causes her to be afraid that her desire will not be fulfilled. This article aims to examine Nina’s psychological state during the process of achieving her dreams. To reveal the psychological issues experienced by Nina, a characteristic analysis was carried out using Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis, the theory of human defense mechanisms, and the cinematographic aspects of this film. The results showed that uncontrolled desires could cause psychological disorders that influence a person’s characteristics.

claudia dias ferreira

The motif of a human transformed into a swan is commonly found in European fairy-tales and it has inspired Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake, a novel titled Black Swan and the film Black Swan by Darren Aronofsky. This essay analysis the motif using Jungian psychology.

Marcia Heloisa Amarante Gonçalves

The article analyses Darren Aronofsky´s 2010´s film Black Swan and the ever-strained human-animal relationship, emphasizing themes such as captivity and domestication and its effects on our interaction with animals. Among its many symbolisms, the film depicts the protagonist´s body as a site of confinement shared by two conflicted natures: the civilized, rational and technical dancer and her animal counterpart, represented by the swans. Technicality, discipline and arduous practice play a significant role in the narrative, since it revolves around a ballet company and its new rendering of Tchaikovsky´s Swan Lake. Playing the Swan Queen is Nina Sayers, a troubled young woman searching for perfection who ends up foregoing the limits of her own body, further blurring the distinctions that separate human from animal. The strain of playing the major role in the production mirrors the tension in Nina´s private life, where her possessive mother keeps her as a pet. Nina stands, thus, as a wild animal severed from nature and doomed to a self-mutilating life in captivity.

Ayla Michelle Demir

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), the Austrian neurologist who founded Psychoanalysis, took his experience and theories through many analyses and developments, before coming to name anything. He took great care to make his concepts and theories intelligible, while Lacan was more interested in what cannot be limited to ordinary definitions. He was interested in what happens between words and lines, with the margins of the psyche, with an unconscious La Linguisterie that is the art andscience of the word that fails. Jacques Lacan (1901-1981), the French psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, is considered the most controversial psychoanalyst since Freud. Lacan deliberately wrote in a Prose style, that would resist any neat summary of his concepts and avoid being over systematised. His style of writing and analysis is full of play, puns, jokes, metaphors, irony and contradictions that resemble the psychoanalytic ‘free association’ of images words ideas and meanings that change with context and reveal unconscious desires. For this essay, I am using ordinary psychoanalytic terminology and theory. In a Freudian understanding, this self-restriction to representing standard psychoanalytic theory, is achieved through the repressive function of my superego. In a Lacanian understanding, this writing function is achieved in the name of the Symbolic Father of Freud’s Totem and Taboo. If like Lacan however, the playful son, I allowed myself creativity and unconscious fluidity in writing about Freud and Lacan, this would be a very different kind of essay. My experience of studying, reading and interpreting Lacan however, was a fluid and erotic experience, so perhaps his theory of the intimacy of language and desire is correct. “Will our action go so far, then, as to repress the very truth that it bears in its exercise?” (1)

'Black Swan': Depiction of Mental Illness in the Film

Table of contents

Introduction, black swan movie: psychological analysis, black swan: psychology in the film.

• Goldenberg, J. L. (2013). Black swan/white swan: on female objectification, creatureliness, and death denial. In Death in Classic and Contemporary Film (pp. 105-117). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Sari, I. A. A., Resen, W., & Parthama, G. N. (2016). Psychological analysis of main character in the Black Swan movie (Doctoral dissertation). Udayana University, Indonesia.

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