"Black Swan"

SYNOPSIS:

Black Swan is a supernatural thriller, which centers the story of Nina, a ballerina in a New York City ballet whose life is consumed with dance. She lives with her mother Erica who supports her daughter’s professional ambition. When the director Thomas Leroy decides to replace prima ballerina Beth for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. Nina has competition a new dancer, Lily , who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers compete against each other into a twisted friendship, Nina gets more in touch with her dark side which later destroys her.

ELEMENTS:

Many indirect references to trauma-based mind control can be found in Nina’s living environment. Her Mum, Erica acts more as a mind-controller than a mother. She obviously has boundary issues and is very controlling over all aspects of Nina’s life. Nina’s mother, undresses her adult daughter. This is a very unsettling scene  as it hints unhealthy sexual familiarity between the two. Symbols relating to mind control in Nina’s house, such as her pink, childlike bedroom reflect this reality.

 Playing the Black Swan is a role that requires the dancer to be twisted, sexual and dangerous. Nina had a very frigid character and wasn’t suitable to potray the Black Swan, but Thomas chooses her anyway as he believes she has it in her and that he will bring it out by creating in Nina a new, agressive and sexual alter-ego. He therefore becomes Nina’s new mind-controller.

At one point in the movie Nina is dressed in white and crosses the path of another Nina dressed in black. This represents the rising of Nina’s dark alter-ego. While this is happening Nina hallucinates of strange scars on her body which represent the coming out of the Black Swan in her.

The story of Nina in the film can be compared to many real life cases of celebrities as after being pressured by the industry to become a superstar, they are suddenly dropped and forgotten sometimes leading them to psychological damage, depression, drugs, alcoholism and even suicide.

SYMBOLS:

The power of the Black Swan is represented by black wings in different stages of the movie.

In the scene where Nina is talking to Beth shortly after she is crowned Swan Queen, Nina is fascinated by a creepy statue which shows a dark figure of a man with wings. This figure represents what she is turning into, the Black Swan.

Tattooed Black wings on Lilys back are shown in many parts of the film but show meaning in the scene where she is pleasuring Nina. The tattooed wings represent the power of the Black Swan which is becoming one with Nina. It is comparing Lily and the power of the black swan / her passion which is dance as they are both penetrating her, giving her orgasm, but also taking over her life.

At the end of Ninas perfect performance as the Black Swan she is shown with black wings, symbolizing that she has now become one with the Black Swan.

Thomas and all the audience are in love with Nina as the Black Swan as she gave the performance of a lifetime, but they aren’t in love with the real Nina they’re in love with what she has now become. However the person she has now become is destructive and she cannot live with it tormenting her  physically and psychologically and not able to go on Nina freed herself by killing herself.

PERSONAL COMMENTS:

• The film started out with very dark setting accompanied with suspicious music and heavy breaths. Then it changed into a harmonious scene with light colours such as pinks and whites and a very calm setting.This was constantly happening in the film, a conflicting dark scene followed by a harmonious calm scene repeated throughout the film. 
• The camera focused alot on the feet the sounds were very detailed and clear.
• During the film there were many indirect references to the Black Swan, one of them was that she was always wearing light colours and whites while Lily who represented the Black Swan was always wearing black.
• Nina seems to be mentally unstable because her mother is constantly taking care of her and seems to be treating her like a child.
• Nina has a very soft character but throughout the film she is transforming into this dark character.
• Ninas mum was very overpowering.
• Near the end she starts showing more facial expressions when at the beginning she always had the same look on her face.
• At the end Nina starts talking more and stands up for herself rather then staying quite in whatever situation.

black swan synopsis. (n.d.). Retrieved november 17, 2012, from movieweb: http://www.movieweb.com/movie/black-swan/synopsis

movies and tv. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2012, from vigilant citizen: http://vigilantcitizen.com/moviesandtv/the-occult-interpretation-of-the-movie-black-swan-and-its-message-on-show-business/