Peter and I watched Black Swan the other night and about half-way through it I turned to him and said, “well isn’t this just a nasty little movie”. Meaning it was getting darker and darker as Nina slip-slided into the black abyss of madness. But as we know Aronofsky likes dark movies; after all he has directed such onyx gems as Pi, Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler.
His movies are also intensely personal, hinging on the performance of its lead. Fortunately for all of us, as in the recent movie, The Wrestler and Natalie Portman in Black Swan, we’re not disappointed. Portman took on an extremely difficult role. She dropped 20 lbs to attain the bone-protruding physique of a ballerina, learned to move her body with the grace of a dancer and portrayed a mad young woman.
Her mental illness was apparent right from the beginning of the movie. She was driven to perfection,obsessive AND had a crazy mother. The two of them lived in a strange and reclusive symbiotic world. Barbara Hershey was clearly living in a distorted reality and her dashed ambitions as a former ballerina found fertile ground in her daughter’s vulnerability.
So in the end, it was not a movie about Swan Lake, it was not a movie about the life of a ballerina, it wasn’t a movie about a stage mother and an aspiring daughter – No! It was a movie about madness and the disintegration of a person. A theme not unknown to movie-goers; think The Shining, Taxi Driver, The Aviator and A Beautiful Mind.
Here’s a question/thought; It was extremely difficult at times to discern what was real and what was not in the movie similar to Inception and is that a good thing or a bad thing? Should the audience walk out of a film wondering what they actually saw? True, it makes for discussion post viewing but……? Would love comments on this!
I AM the Black Swan
Bill Ding and his band of clowns are the security patrol for this blog site. He is a favorite toy from the 50*s. By the way sometimes a blog is just an ego-maniacal stream of conscience.
Pbenjay's Blog 
Saw this movie and loved it! If I can predict a movie before it ends not always the best feeling for me. If I leave and still have no clue what happened, MASTERPIECE! I will go and see it again!
Thanks for your comment Justin! Look for your photo in a blog today or over the weekend!
Re: Black Swan – we did know what happened at the end it was just parts in the middle that were bewildering until you realized like in A Beautiful Mind…it was ALL MADNESS (much like some of our family gatherings lol lol)
I loved this movie. I have a very different interpretation of it than any review I’ve read. I did not see it as sinking into madness. I saw it as rising like a swan or a phoenix, out of the ashes and chains of a mother living vicariously and symbiotically through her child. This relationship did not allow her to “spread her wings” as a woman, so she remains a child.
I don’t see her perfectionism as madness, either. Every great artist gives their all to achieve their ideal of greatness, beauty and perfection. I saw this as heroic, especially in regards to her mother’s talent and career.
I also believe it was entirely metaphorical. The end I see as pure symbolism to her transcendance and emancipation, the symbol of the womb being key.
Thank you for your comments; an interesting yet very different point of view. I don’t believe suicide is exactly a freeing vehicle to escape a crazy mother. True artists strive for perfection, however I believe striving and driving are two different motivations. I especially like your symbolic reference to the womb.
I wrote the last reply…. I hit the “Post Comment” button before I realized I hadn’t added my name. : )
I agree about suicide, but I didn’t see this as suicide. None of it was real. If it was, how could she have been able to dance that final performance? I believe it was ALL symbolism. By using the womb, I saw it as the death of the child inside of her, being perpetuated by her mother.
I see the ending as a beginning, a birth, of her individuality, maturity, sexuality and creativity. She broke free.