Nina is first shown as a dancer who doesn’t stand out among the rest. Fading into the background as she wears the same monochromatic color scheme as everyone else wearing mostly black, white, and gray.
The hint of color seen in the blood foreshadows the darker themes that will be seen later in the film. The rip in her skin also shows how she’s slowly breaking away from the meek character she’s portrayed as, which is perpetuated by her anxiety and stress.
Nina is now shown to be back into the larger crowd of people. She blends back into the group as she hasn’t started trying to meet the expectations projected on her, in attempt to take the star role in the ballet.
Odile is representative of what Nina is lacking. While Thomas always describes her to be the perfect fit for the white swan, she views Odile as someone who can help her come into the role as the black swan.
Trying to take Thomas’ advice to explore herself she reflects and begins to doubt herself more than before. This leads to her seeking other dancers help in embodying her character.
At the club this is our first glimpse into how Nina begins to change her mindset and slowly get corrupted by the people and atmosphere that she believes will help her step into the part of black swan.
Leaving behind the items she stole from Thomas’ previous star dancer, she begins to lose her grip on reality and hallucinate situations.
As her anxiety and insecurity continue to grow she believes that everything is attacking her. She continues to doubt her capabilities as being the star dancer of the ballet.
Undergoing more physical changes she tears up her skin showing how her stress it ripping her apart inside and out. The color red now begins to become more prominent as she hurts herself.
She then starts to hurt others. By thinking she killed Odile, she assumes that she will no longer have to face the struggles of insecurity in her role as the black swan. However, at this point she almost hitting the peak of her psychosis.
After killing Odile she fully embodies the character of the black swan. It’s portrayed as if she absorbed the characteristics she was trying to copy from Odile after she finally got rid of her.
Nina comes to the realization that she had not actually killed Odile but herself. The stab wound she thought was on Odile shows up on herself and in her white costume blood begins to rise and spread.
Seemingly coming to peace with what she had done to herself to try to change for this role, the screen fades into white. Almost as a representative of who Nina was at the beginning of the film.
The article delves into the intricate plot of the film, following the journey of Nina Sayers, a young ballerina, as she navigates the pressures of her career and the psychological turmoil within herself. Set against the backdrop of a production of Swan Lake, Nina grapples with the dual roles of the White Swan and the Black Swan, which mirror her own internal struggles. As Nina strives for perfection, she becomes increasingly consumed by her pursuit, leading to a descent into madness and a blurring of reality and fantasy. The narrative explores themes of identity, ambition, and the sacrifices one makes for artistic excellence, ultimately culminating in a dramatic and haunting conclusion that leaves viewers questioning the nature of reality and the price of perfection.
In "Black Swan" (2010), Darren Aronofsky examines the psychological turmoil of a talented ballerina as she descends into madness while grappling with the pursuit of perfection and acceptance in the competitive world of ballet.
5 Words: Psychological, intense, haunting, transformative, mesmerizing.
composition from UIC DESIGN on Vimeo.
The first clip starts off the with the title of the film. It begins slow to ease into the intensity that is perpetuated in the rest of the sequence.
A transitionary clip that separates the title from the actors and big names who took part in the film.
This clip starts off to show the actors who were in the film. The ballerina turns at a medium pace to further ease into the quickness to follow.
The flash of light transitions into the faster clips that contrast the previously slow clips.
The shoes move fast while revealing the other names.
The names show up as the dancer moves through the screen.
The dancer is revealed throwing another aspect into the sequence that will slowly add to the overwhelming feeling I'm trying to convey.
The split represents the black and white swan from the movie, it symbolizes how intense the sequence becomes.
Focusing back on the singular dancer the light flashes in the background while more names get revealed.
The flashes continue to transition into the next clip.
The dancers are split on a black and white background moving slower than the previous clips to give a sense of ease from the intensity that preceded it.
The singular dancer is revealed again to show that the intensity does not come to an end.
The next clip goes back to the dancers and reveals that the cycle will continue.
Mistica_Black Swan from UIC DESIGN on Vimeo.