I Watch Films: Black Swan

 

Black Swan

Nina Miller is a ballerina, daughter of a former ballerina who both over-protects and pushes her. The director of New York ballet Thomas Leroy pushes out Beth, the prima ballerina, and holds auditions for Swan Lake – intending the same dancer dance the White Swan and the Black. Nina does the White Swan perfectly – Thomas tells her if it was just the white he’d have picked her – but can’t summon the passion and energy needed for the black. Nina goes to talk to him to make her case for the role and he kisses her, but she bites him and runs away. The next day to her surprise she’s go the role.

She continues to struggle with the Black Swan part. At the presentation for the new season Beth gets drunk, accuses Nina of sleeping with Thomas, leaves and is hit by a car. Thomas suggests it was attempted suicide; Nina visits her and it is clear she will not dance again.

A new dancer, Lily arrives; she’s got all the uninhibited qualities Nina lacks, and also a physical resemblance. Nina discovers scratches on her body, has strange visions. Her mother tries to keep her in but she goes out to drink with Lily. They take ecstasy, flirt with boys, dance in a nightclub, then go back to Nina’s and have sex. In the morning Nina wakes, with no sign of Lily, and is late for rehearsal.

At rehearsal Lily is dancing the Black Swan and Thomas has made her Nina’s alternate. When Nina confronts her Lily denies having sex with her. Nina starts to spiral out of control, paranoid, seeing feathers. When her mother sees the scratches she starts a watch – this has been a problem before. Nina breaks loose, prepares for the performance, ready to unleash the black swan within her.

A paranoid thriller, as Nina literally loses her mind, in one way or another. The hot house of the ballet, the pressure, her growing out from under her mother’s influence, all contribute, yet none of these are sufficient – there is a gap between explanation and the reality of the dance.

Watch This: Ballet as horror, dance as life, swans as rebirth
Don’t Watch This: It’s all reflections, and despite several scenes of intense physical discomfort, somehow manages to minimise the amount of pain that goes into dance