Black Swan

Summary

Black Swan is a psychological thriller film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman. The film was released on 17th December 2010. Natalie Portman plays ballet dancer Nina Sayers who wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan - Princess Odette. However she slowly begins to lose her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile, the Black Swan.

Analysis of Narrative Structure

At the start of the film we are in a state of equilibrium with our protagonist auditioning for the role of the play Swan Lake. She has not faced death or the death of another and comes across as a level headed individual who is passionate about her dancing.  Nina auditions for the part of the White Swan, but doesn't get it easy due to her strict boss and the threat of another dancer named Lily who has a bolder more carefree attitude than that of Nina. It could be said that her boss and the other girl, Lily, are the strong forces or the antagonists that she must oppose. The quest that Nina is going through is defifnitely focused on a character however there isnt really a huge mystery to be solved. whilst there are events at the end of the film whih cause Nina to question herself, she is genreally focused on just learning and accurately portraying the White Swan for play. The narrative is from Nina's perspective certainately but the element of justice seems to be absent from this film however there are strong moral challenges and there is an overwhelming sense of innocence that envelopes Nina. At the films end Nina engages in a battle that reveals to be with herself, which is similar to the resolution in Shutter Island.

Character Study: Nina Sayers

Nina Sayers is an innocent young woman who just wants to be the perfect ballet dancer, pushing herself to the limit to achieve that goal. The revelation that her dance company will be performing Swan Lake is what drives Nina to to show off her her talent  as the perfect dancer for the role of Princess Odette- the White Swan. Her relationship with the rebellious Lily causes her attitude to change, challenging her slightly possessive mother and exploring her sexual interests with Lily. This combined with her infatuation for the White Swan causes her to lose her innocence and slowly delve into the Black Swan. Nina changes from a caring, polite girl to a possessive and dark young woman.