For my applied theory post concerning the “Psychoanalytic Criticism,” many different Pop-

Culture works came to mind. After a debate of my own, I chose to look at the film Black
Swan. Certain aspects of the movie were disturbing and others showed the internal struggle
of the main character, Nina. Reading Lois Tyson’s chapter about Psychoanalytic criticism
really put this whole movie into perspective for me; Origins of the unconscious, core issues,
the issue of sexuality, dream symbols, and some Lacanian psychoanalysis play a role in
Black Swan.

Within the first five minutes of starting the film, origins of the unconscious are noticeable.
Nina is having a dream that she is the white swan in the new production of Swan Lake. Her
unconscious mind is telling the viewers of the film that she has an aspiration to become the
supreme ballerina that she has always dreamt of being. This is also an example of feminine
imagery because she is performing in a room. Nina also displays Desire of the Mother. At
most all points in the movie Nina relies heavily on her mother (by calling her, living with her,
pleasing her) and her mother relies on her too (by having Nina live there, by helping Nina
succeed, knowing all things about Nina’s life).

Nina also has a fear of abandonment. It isn’t quite as evident in the movie until towards the
end of the movie. When she messes up on stage and gets dropped, Nina chooses not to
say that it is her fault that it has happened; rather she blames it on the male dancer that
accompanied her. Once this has happened, Nina rushes to her dressing room to see that
Lily is already getting ready to take her place as black swan because Lily feels as though
Nina will mess up the ballet even more; Nina then stabs Lily, drags her into a closet and lets
her die alone. At this point Nina’s fear of abandonment is the question “what did I do
wrong?” because she’s choosing to repress what happened earlier. This foreshadows the
conclusion of the movie when Nina realizes that the part has gotten to her so much that she
stabs herself and dies on stage after finishing her Swan Queen role.

A few times throughout the movie Nina struggles with her sexuality. The premiere time is
when she goes with Thomas back to his house after the party that announced Nina as the
Swan Queen. Thomas asks Nina if she has engaged in sexual intercourse, when he
realizes that she lied, he tells her to touch herself. The second time, her libido is channeled
into Lily when they have intercourse in Nina’s room. This turns out to be a dream and poses
the question that Tyson suggests as “What conscious and unconscious meanings and
purposes do I express or enact in my sexuality?”(24).
Tyson describes condensation as “a dream image or event to represent more than one
unconscious wound or conflict” (18). This is presented as the rash that is appearing on
Nina’s back. Throughout the whole movie this never goes away, in fact, it becomes more
obvious. There is one point in the film when Nina’s eyes turn red and she plucks a black
twig like object from her back; It is then that she realizes the rash that has been forming is
not just a plain rash, but it is the feathers for her wings when she performs the black swan.
Although the viewer of the movie can see that she has wings, they are just a figment of her
imagination. One of the last symbols in the movie is when she is rehearsing late one night
and the lights shut off, what Nina sees is important because the role of being Swan Queen
is dominating her life, and she cannot come back from losing herself.

Another aspect presented in Black Swan was Nina’s insecure/ unstable sense of self. A few
times throughout the movie, Nina would be moving destinations and see herself in a
different location and her reflection would be doing a different action. This happens on the
subway, in a tunnel and one night when she’s rehearsing her reflection in the mirror does
not do what she does, but acts on its own.

I think that the director of the film did mean to incorporate these aspects into the movie to
show how serious people take their jobs and to show what happens to some. Any thoughts?
Freudian Theory of sexuality has involved so many controversies during
the development of psychoanalysis. The theory of sexuality was being
considered as an outrage in the Victorian era when Sigmund Freud
developed his theory about psychoanalysis (Anonyms 2008). Moreover,
Sigmund Freud theory of sexuality has been walked alongside with the
Jacques Lacan theory of sexuality. The theory of sexuality itself can
therefore be applied to The Black Swan movie and its relation to the
Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan theories.

The Black Swan movie tells the story of Nina Sayer (Natalie Portman) who
is a dedicated ballerina and devotes her life into dancing. She is a
perfectionist as a person and she also wishes for the greatest achievement
in her career. Therefore, she decides to take an audition for the main role in
Swan Lake. Nina as a typical sweet and fragile woman is perfect for the
White Swan role. However, her personality is not suitable for the Black
Swan. As a ballerina who has devoted her life into dancing, she has made
so much effort to make her role as the Black Swan went out smooth. She
practices every single day until she felt obsessed with the role itself. She
cannot even separate between her real life and her stage life thereafter
(The Black Swan 2010).

In her daily life, Nina has also dealt with so much drama. Her mom who is a
former ballerina tends to be overprotective towards Nina. Her mom knows
everything about ballerina life and therefore she protects Nina so that no
one can defect Nina’s career. Her attitude has been too much according to
Nina herself. She cannot run her life with her own will. One of the
examples can be shown when Nina should perform on her performance in
Broadway and her mom avoids her to enter the stage because her mom
felt that Nina is sick (The Black Swan 2010).

At the end of this movie, she feels that Nina is unable to fulfill her role
because her mom thinks that it is her obsession to become the famous
ballerina and not her. Her mom is also disappointed with her pastime when
she cannot take the role in Swan Lake and she has then decided to give
birth to Nina at that time (The Black Swan 2010). From this situation, it is
shown that her mom has experienced the melancholic situation. According
to Lacan (as cited in Zizek 2006), melancholic exists when we eventually
obtain the desired object, but are disappointed with it. This reveals that
Nina’s mom is disappointed with her pastime and she encourages Nina not
to make the same mistake as she did. However, Nina has a different
thought. Nina thinks that her mom encourages her to feel the kinship as
well as her mom fail to make her performance in the Broadway (The Black
Swan 2010).

Furthermore, Nina’s mom is being overprotected towards Nina. For

instance, her mom does not like to see Nina scratch her back until her back
is bleeding. Therefore, she shows her resentment with anger and cut her
nail forcefully. The action from ‘cutting nail’ can even be conducted by Nina
but her mom does it for her. Subsequently, her mother has always
accompanied Nina when she is sleeping. Nina cannot even take her own
time to be relaxed in the bathroom. It is because her mom will check out for
her if she is in the bathroom for quite long. Consequently, Nina feels
insecure on it and she becomes rebel to disapprove over her protection
(The Black Swan 2010)

From this standpoint, Nina’s mom treats her as a child and she is showing
the rebellion upon it. According to Freud (1932), when the girl enters the
maturity to choose her love-object, she will be show resentment towards
someone who prevents her in doing free sexual activity. This can be shown
in mother-daughter relationship in the Black Swan movie. When the mother
take up the duty of protecting her daughter chastity, the mother opposes
masturbation and this will give a motive to her daughter for rebellion (Freud
1932).

Moreover, the rebellion from Nina is shown with regards to sexuality. The
sexual outcomes were first derived by the fantasy. Base on Lacan (as cited
in Zizek 2006), fantasy teaches us on how to desire and the role of fantasy
hinges on the deadlock in our sexuality. This can be illustrated when Nina
tries to portray the role of Black Swan. The character of the Black Swan
itself is seductive and Nina is lack of seduction for this role (The Black
Swan 2010).
Therefore, she approves the advice from her mentor (Thomas Leroy) to
touch herself. Her mentor (Thomas Leroy) has also trained her with
seduction. Thomas Leroy seduces her with kisses and grabs her thighs so
that Nina is capable of revealing her seductive side. This approach seems
to be successful and Nina becomes more seductive in the role of Black
Swan. In her daily life, Nina is also engaged with sexual activity. The movie
illustrates that she enjoys on touching herself in the morning before going
to her Ballet studio. According to Lacan (as cited in Zizek 2006), he accepts
that every subject must discover a fantasy of his or her own ‘private’
formula for the sexual relationship. This can be seen that the provate
formula for Nina is her mentor who trains her to touch herself and she
approves it. Lacan (as cited in Zizek 2006) also adds that if it is the
relationship with the woman, it is possible to only inasmuch as the partner
adheres to this formula.

In addition, Freud (as cited in Zizek 2006) also recalls on fantasy by

illustrating it from the fantasy of eating strawberry cake and this is to form
an identity (of the one who fully enjoys eating a cake given by the parents)
so that they would satisfy her parents and make her the object of their
desire. This can be related to the Black Swan movie when Nina enjoys on
touching herself during her daily life. The satisfaction is obtained from the
feel of achievement itself. This means that Nina has succeed to be more
seductive as the Black Swan and she is able to portray the role as perfect
as the story tells.

Subsequently, Lacan (as cited in Zizek 2006) clarifies since the sexuality is
the domain in which we get closest to the intimacy of another human being,
it is fully exposed ourselves to him or her and something traumatic in its
breathtaking intensity is yet impossible in our senses. It can be shown
when Nina is hanging out with her ballerina friend Lily in the night club. Lily
has the opposite personality than Nina. Lily can embody the dark side of
the Black Swan more appropriately than Nina (The Black Swan 2010)

In the story, she asked Nina to visit the night club. The ambience of the
night club make Nina kisses so many guys in the movie. The music in the
night club also supports her to do the passionate kisses with so many guys.
Lacan (as cited in Zizek 2006) also reveals the reason why a sexual
relation has to be screened through some fantasy in order to function. This
proves that the music and the ambience of the night club is the function to
screen through the sexual fantasy.

After the night club scene, there is also an activity that can be described in
the theory of sexuality. Nina does not notice that she goes home by herself.
In the story, she only notices that she goes home with her friend Lily. She
was arguing with her mom while she was arriving at home. Since she still
believes that she asked Lily to come with her to home, Nina drags her to
her bedroom. Nina is fantasizing about making love with Lily at that time
(The Black Swan 2010)

The story continues in the morning. Nina came late to the dance studio.
Then, she talked to Lily and Lily was not there in her house. Therefore, this
is only Nina’s fantasies. According to Donald Rumsfeld (as cited in Zizek
2006), he clarifies the relationship between the known and the unknown.
Donald Rumsfeld (as cited in Zizek 2006) explains that there are known
knowns which mean we know what we know. This can be explained when
Nina did not notice that she was making love with Lily.

However, Donald Rumsfeld theory should be reviewed at this point of view.

According to Zizek (2006), he forgot to mention ‘the unknown knowns’
which disavowed beliefs and suppositions that are not even aware of
adhering to ourselves but which nonetheless determine our acts and
feelings. It can be described that Nina has experienced the unknown
knowns when she did not realize that she fantasizes Nina came to her
home and making love with her.

The complication of fantasy has brought the sexuality to the crucial effects.
Based on Zizek (2006), he implies that we can encounter the traumatic
Real which means that dreams are for those who cannot endure reality,
reality itself is for those who cannot endure. This has been illustrated in the
scene when Nina reached the point of hatred with Lily’s attitude. Nina
thinks that Lily want to take over the role.
Once again, Nina dreams on having a conversation with Lily and this
conversation ends up with fight. She is very upset with Lily until she breaks
the glass and use its glass shattered to stab Lily. All of these are only
existed in Nina’s dream. The fact that she did not stab Lily and she stabs
herself made her Nina’s condition become worse. This shows how the
traumatic Real cannot endure the reality and it makes Nina sad and injured
at the end of this story.

In conclusion, female sexuality is derived from the concept of a drive. This

drive can be aimed as an active or passive base on particular situation.
According to Sigmund Freud (2008), a drive with an active aim may turn
into one whose aim is passive. For instance, the desire to master one’s
beloved can turn into the desire, passively, to be mastered by her. Sigmund
Freud (2008) revealed that the concept of a drive as follows:

1. The source: it relates the organ part of the body that demands for work. For instance, Nina
tends to touch herself on her vagina. This makes her reveal the dark side of the role.
2. The pleasure: it is the motor factor that drives the amount of the force of the measure of the
demand for work it represents. It also involves the demand for work and the individual
psyche. For instance, the pleasure that can be achieved from touching herself (Nina). It
occurs during her daily life because she trains herself to be as dark as the character in the
black swan.
3. The aim: it is related to the pleasure principle when removing the state of stimulation in
source of a drive.
4. The object: it can be a part of individual body. For instance, Nina tends to kiss her mentor in
order to get the Black Swan role. She is repeatedly kissing her mentor in order to get his
heart or to keep her role so that her mentor did not give the Swan Lake role to anyone else.
 Black Swan received awards at the 2011 Oscars for best actress (Natalie Portman), and was
nominated for best picture, director (Darren Aronofsky), cinematography (Matthew Libatique), and editing
(Andrew Weisblum). It accumulated additional awards and nominations from numerous other
associations around the world, but was somewhat controversial in its pairing of a highly regarded art form
with what some perceived as elements from the horror film genre. I think it provides an excellent example
of the power of art and creativity to shock the general public, in this case by illustrating the depths of
personality and emotion that are tapped in an artist who aspires to achieve perfection in her work.
In this essay, I will address the psychological aspects of Black Swan in terms of: a dancer's
passion for the art and technique of dance, her striving for perfection while unsure of her abilities, her
desperate but puzzled desire to please a seductive father figure, and her conflicts with an over-zealous
mother who floods her with mixed messages. This will involve a brief discussion about the concept of
narcissism, and what we might conclude about the state of Nina's mind.

Passion/Obsession for ballet

Clearly, Nina, the main character played by Portman, is passionate about dancing; it consumes
her every waking hour. She does little and thinks little about anything else, as far as we can see. And it's
almost a given that a true artist is obsessed with his/her work. But Nina's obsession with dance and the
pursuit of perfection does seem to go beyond the usual artistic strivings, perhaps to fill up the emptiness
of an isolated existence, perhaps to fulfill her mother's dreams. Even after the artistic director in the film,
Thomas Leroy, assures Nina that her technique is already perfect, she continues to "work" on it, and it
takes her a long time to really comprehend what he means when he tries to explain to her about the
emotional aspects of dance. So we see that, in the beginning, Nina's quest for perfection is entirely
focused on technique in terms of body positioning and movement; she doesn't yet truly relate to the
emotional experience of dancing and dancing as a sexual being. In order to do that, she must find the
dark side of herself, something that is alien to her, as she has been brought up to remain a child, meek
and acquiescent, and certainly not to explore too far afield.
She needs her dark side, not only to be the black swan, but more importantly to become a mature
woman. Although, in so doing, there is the threat that it will overtake her completely. As one reviewer
noted: "Obsessive self-discipline has perhaps protected her from descending into madness. Now, she
must let go of that protection in order to achieve her dream" (Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune,
12/10/10). Recall the scene in which Nina mutilates a pair of ballet shoes in order to make them
flexible. This can be seen as a metaphor for what she has to do to herself to achieve the perfection she
is seeking (Maryann Johanson, flick filosopher, www.flickfilosopher.com, 2/7/11).

Self-esteem Compromised by 1) an Obsession to Achieve Perfection and 2) Mother's Depression

Partly because Nina's interests and experience have been so narrow and her relationships with
people so few, her self-esteem and self-confidence are very low. The pursuit of perfection-an impossible
goal-interferes further with self-development. Her drive for perfection prevents her from getting
satisfaction from her accomplishments, a source from which self-esteem is normally derived.
Another factor contributing to low self-esteem is what appears to me to be the mother's
depression. We don't know the reason for her depression. Nina comes home to find her sobbing at
times. Is it a lost love? Is it loss of her own aspirations to be a star ballet dancer? It would be easy to
imagine that she lost a love who got her pregnant and that she had to give up any idea of a career and
become a single mother. She has perhaps tried to transfer her love of ballet to painting, but she has
clearly clung to those ballet aspirations by experiencing them vicariously through her daughter.

Desire/Puzzlement about Pleasing a Seductive Father Figure

Some of the very tense scenes in the movie involve the director interacting with Nina,
encouraging her toward self-discovery. He actually serves to counteract some of the mother's influence
by telling her she is strong (as opposed to weak), that she should fight back rather than be so accepting,
and to be an adult sexual being, rather than remain a little girl. She resists by seeming not to have the
slightest idea of what he's talking about. When he resorts to demonstrating what he means, tension is
heightened because he's inched over the boundaries of appropriateness. Although I wouldn't condone
his approach, I can empathize with his frustration with her stubbornness to remain a little girl. I have to
wonder if she would ever have been able to master the black swan role if he had not helped her along in
this way. Not only has Nina's father not been present, she apparently has had little experience with men
at all, and little-if any-experience in the kind of mutuality that is key to an intimate relationship. Nina is
attracted to this man, and her hunger for what she has been missing is like a lost person on the desert
encountering water for the first time. She can't just drink it in greedily, however; she's too afraid. And
perhaps that fear is not entirely unfounded. One wonders what makes Thomas suddenly attracted to
Nina when she bites him. In this, we get a glimpse of the relationships he establishes with his prima
ballerinas, and more specifically, in his interactions with Beth.

Conflicts with an Over-Zealous Mother Who Gives Mixed Messages

Nina's mother is difficult to watch. Mostly she indulges Nina, and seems not to have any
expectations of her except to shine in ballet. Yet, that is with reservation, as she is still angry about
having to drop out of ballet to have Nina, and even now, seems to feel competitive with her. Sometimes
when she is comforting her daughter she sounds encouraging at first, but then urges Nina to accept
second best, such as saying: "Don't work too hard." She implies Nina is weak and cannot stand the
pressure. Mostly she is all sweetness and nice and supportive, BUT she can turn on a dime and become
vicious. (Think about the cake scene.) Just how vicious she can be, we're able to see when she
attempts to cancel Nina's appearances.
The mother tries desperately to restrain her daughter from living freely and autonomously. But
about halfway through the film, Nina refuses to be her puppet any longer, realizing that her mother is
actually bitter about Nina's accomplishments. Nina delights in the realization that whereas she has
become a star, her mother did not get beyond the corps de ballet. Overt friction between Nina and her
mother only becomes apparent when Nina begins to separate. The mother's dismay is captured by the
lines, "What happened to my sweet girl?" to which, Nina vehemently replies: "She's gone!!!" Breaking
away from the mother's tight bonds allows Nina to soar and master the Black Swan role.

Narcissistic Personality Organization

Those whose personalities are organized around maintaining self-esteem primarily from
affirmations coming from outward sources (as opposed to their own accomplishments) and who have a
disproportionate degree of sensitivity to criticism are seen as narcissistic (McWilliams, Nancy,
Psychoanalytic Diagnosis, NY: The Guilford Press 1994). The term originated with Freud who derived it
from the Greek myth of Narcissus, the young man who fell in love with his reflection in a pool of water
(Freud, On Narcissism: An introduction. Standard Edition, 14, 67-102, l914).) Nina puts on an outer
mask when she is trying to please others and ignore their aggression toward her, particularly her mother
and Thomas. We know that a narcissistic organization evolves as a consequence of difficulties in
achieving successful differentiation and eventual separation from primary caretakers. Frequently, these
individuals have been used as narcissistic extensions themselves, just as Nina appears to have been
used by her mother. Nina seems to be important to her mother more for the function she serves than for
who she really is, and Nina has certainly gotten the message that she will get support from her mother
only if she cooperates with her mother's narcissistic agenda. Much of her striving for perfection in ballet
can be seen as motivated by her wish to please her mother. When she gets the starring role, her first
thought is to call her mother and tell her. Certainly, at first, her mother's primary agenda for Nina is that
she be a prima ballerina. Of course, her mother did not anticipate the destructive, competitive feelings
her daughter's success would arouse in her later.
Two primary emotions associated with a narcissistic personality are shame and envy. Shame in
the sense of being seen as less than or lacking in something crucial and envy in the conviction that
another has those qualities. We sense the shame in Nina when she has not pleased her mother or
Thomas, the artistic director. We see the envy stirred up by the possibility that Lily will be given the swan
role. The defenses of idealization and devaluation-also characteristic of this disorder-are evident in
Nina's attempts to adapt to stress and conflict. Nina idealizes Thomas, ignoring any feelings she has
about his criticisms of her, his humiliation of her in front of other (male) dancers, and the brusqueness
apparent in his dealing with her. At the end of the film, her last statement to him of finally achieving
perfection is stated with a mixture of pride in pleasing him and of victory, perhaps implying that she has
triumphed over him. Although I hasten to say that we really don't know whether she dies or not.
It should be noted that ballet itself reinforces any narcissism already existing in a dancer: Mirrors
and doubles in the form of alternates and understudies are ubiquitous; performance necessarily involves
a false persona. There are intense competitions around beauty and skill, and selections are more often
based on the functionality of the dancer rather than on who she is. One would have to have a certain
degree of narcissism to be a dancer at all.

Nina's State of Mind

But what can we say about Nina's State of Mind? Nina is shown to have a number of symptoms
that most psychologists would regard as pathological:

self-mutilation - scratching, pulling off skin, which seem to occur in dissociative episodes;
paranoid thoughts - toward Lily and toward strangers she meets in the subway;
a possible eating disorder - we see her throw up-or try to-more than once;
social isolation - she has no friends, and does not know how to respond when Lily makes
overtures-instead,
she misinterprets them as Lily wanting to take something from her;
an inner sense of insufficiency associated with low self-esteem; and
weak boundaries between reality and fantasy and perhaps frank hallucinations. Three of the
more striking examples of Nina's confusion between reality and fantasy are the night she dreams she is
with Lily in her bedroom, her transformation into an actual swan, and opening night when she thinks she
has stabbed Lily with broken glass. Of course, the tragedy in the latter case is that she has actually
stabbed herself. Whether or not she dies is left to the viewer's imagination.
Black Swan is a disturbing film in many respects. As one reviewer noted, "…[it] picks at [some] of
our deepest anxieties-injury, disfigurement, loss of a coveted job, loss of identity, loss of sanity. In most
fright films, danger lurks in the shadows. Here, it's grinning from a mirror" (Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star
Tribune, 12/10/10). It also stretches our minds in figuring out what is supposed to be real; we're not
always sure which of the characters' actions are real and which are Nina's projections-which is likewise
disturbing. As disturbing as it is, however, I think it conveys an accurate-although perhaps exaggerated-
view of what it means to be an artist, and is beneficial for those of us in other professions to appreciate
how much they must give of themselves to be successful.
The Movie Psychoanalyst
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Black Swan
Black Swan Movie Review

Heather Hardison, Ph.D.

Dark, Thrilling, Intense, Twisted! Brilliant and unforgettable performance by Natalie Portman.

Spoiler Alert: There will be spoilers revealed in this review in order to truly dissect the film; so do not
read if you haven't seen the movie. This movie is too good to be spoiled ahead of time.

Natalie Portman is captivating in this role. Her transformation into the black swan is nothing short of
brilliant. It is so powerful that I feel there are no words to really describe it and I find myself wanting to
make up new words to give her justice. She is perfect in her performance of Nina Sayers in both the
innocent side of Nina and the dark tumultuous side of the black swan. Natalie draws you in during the
opening of the film where she is demure, fragile, and reserved which is not a stretch for Natalie as she
always exudes such elegance. To give a little background on the plot, Natalie plays Nina Sayers, a very
committed ballerina who dances in a New York City Ballet Company in Lincoln Center. She is competing
with several other talented dancers for the leading role in a new production of Swan Lake that is being
directed by Thomas Leroy played by Vincent Cassell. The leading role of the Swan Queen is a very
challenging and demanding role as it requires the dancer to embody conflicting personalities. There is the
innocent and pure White Swan and the dark, sensual Black Swan.
Nina is undoubtedly the most technical dancer in the company, yet she lacks the reckless abandon
needed to tap into the darker role. The director is torn over whether to give her a chance at this role as he
is not convinced that she can let herself go enough to give in to the uninhibited side of herself that she
has kept so well guarded. He sees just a little flash of this side during a kiss in his office and this is
enough for him to take the gamble and make a sudden change in the casting. Nina knows this is her shot
to prove herself which leads to constant practice and unhealthy routines and schedules. This gives us a
glimpse at how grueling the life of a competitive dancer can be.

The sweet and innocent side to Nina is why she is the perfect dancer for the White Swan, but she
struggles with mastering the Black Swan sequences as she lacks the ability to abandon perfectionism
and technical ability for emotional and sensual fluidity. This is something she doesn't connect with until
her opening premiere.

Her metamorphosis into the darker side is jaw dropping. It’s acting at it’s best. Duality is the word that
stuck in my mind after this film. Her ability to embody both roles flawlessly AND to convey the terror she
feels when she begins her descent into psychosis is what stands out as an unforgettable performance.
This film is a real thriller and will have you on the edge of your seat during some really creepy scenes.
There has been controversy over just how much dancing Natalie Portman did in the movie. Her
body/dancing double has made claims that Natalie’s dance scenes have been overexaggerated. Does it
really matter? Let’s face it – she didn’t win the Oscar because of the dance scenes; although she was
magnificent from what I saw. She earned that Oscar for her portrayal of a woman riding the edge of
insanity and who was terrified of the changes she is undergoing. Her ability to teeter back and forth in this
duality is remarkable. Also, you have to remember that Natalie had to perfect her dancing technique as
well as deliver an emotional and challenging performance. Part of being an actress is convincing us on all
levels that you are undoubtedly that character and Natalie left no doubt in my mind. There was never a
point when I felt she was acting. Rather, I believed that Natalie was so committed to this role and so
passionate about making this film that she allowed herself to go where she probably hasn’t before. She
appeared to push herself to the brink and lose herself in this role which parallels Nina's journey as well.
By the end of the movie I couldn't see Natalie anymore. The Black Swan seemed like a
completely separate entity at that point. Natalie completely embodied this character and it will most likely
be the role that she is most remembered for.

The physicality of this role was another layer to capture for her performance. She trained for 10 months
as a ballerina and did dance many of the scenes in the movie herself. The director Darren Aronofsky
stated that Natalie performed 80% of the dance scenes and the film editor, Andy Weisblum told 20/20 that
out of 35 body shots that Natalie did 12 but overall Natalie did a lot more of the other scenes in the film.
He also stated, "It was sometimes hard for me to tell the difference...It was so close." Picking
up techniques that usually takes several years to become proficient at is a daring feat in and of itself. And
not only did she succeed in that aspect, but she turned in one of the best female acting performances of
all time. I think her stand-in owes Natalie an apology. I doubt that anyone that saw this movie feels that
Natalie misrepresented herself. It's clear that she owned that role in all aspects, and it is a shame to have
anyone question her performance in any way after she poured herself into this role.
One of the best qualities of this film is that we get a unique internal perspective from someone on the
verge of losing their mind at the time that it is happening. Normally we only have a chance to see this
occur from the outside as we observe the character's odd behaviors and changes in their personality.
Here, we see her descent into this demented world from her eyes which leaves us feeling unnerved and
disturbed. I wager that most people left this film feeling creeped out and looking over their shoulders. I
know I did. As a therapist this was particularly eye opening to me. Having this glimpse into her perception
left me wondering just how terrifying it would be to someone who is experiencing these psychotic
episodes. I'm usually looking through the diagnostic lens trying to capture and identify specific symptoms
in order to make the correct diagnosis. But this film helps humanize this experience and highlights how
confusing and disturbing these breaks from reality would appear to the person who is trapped inside this
downward spiral. It can also be a very isolating experience since most individuals do not feel comfortable
revealing to others that they are hearing voices or seeing demented images. Nina kept all of her concerns
to herself and didn't even let her mother in on her predicament out of fear of losing her role in Swan Lake.
The role of the Swan Queen meant more to Nina than her own mental wellbeing (a sign of her
obsessiveness). This film will change how I interact with psychotic patients in the future. Instead of
focusing on just the diagnostic criteria, I will be more concerned with addressing their fears and their
emotional concerns regarding the strange experiences that they are enduring, now that I see how utterly
frightening it would feel to be on the verge of losing their mind.

I was looking forward to this movie given my love for psychological thrillers. It delivered in the thrilling and
mysterious aspects. In fact there were multiple scenes that had me baffled as to what was really going
on. For awhile there I wasn’t sure if Mila Kunis’ character, Lily, was real or just a complete figment of
Nina’s imagination. Also we aren’t sure if Lily is actually out to get Nina or if Nina is consumed with
paranoia until the end. I feel this uncertainty adds to the intrigue of the film and keeps you guessing
throughout. Also confusing are the scenes that are hallucinations conjured up in Nina's head. Only at the
end of the film does all of this start to make sense which again gives it a mystifying aspect. Most of the
comments online after the film was released contained confusion over several scenes, rightly so. The
scene where Nina visits Beth in the hospital to return her stuff was particularly confusing to viewers.
Knowing now that she was delusional during most of the film we can assume that she did visit Beth but
that Beth did not stab herself. Nina's delusions had already taken over at that point and she was in the
height of her psychosis. Nina was no longer in contact with reality which is why there are scenes where
reality and fantasy are tangled together. We see the same thing happen when Nina imagines that the sex
scene between her and Lily took place. We later learn from Lily that it never happened. Lily said she went
home with a guy from the club and it was all a fantasy. Nina can't distinguish what is real or imagined.
That could happen with individuals who are delusional, paranoid, and/or schizophrenic.

However, what is a stretch is that she would imagine stabbing Lily but stab herself instead. It is rare that
someone would descend into insanity that fast without raising the suspicions of others around her. If this
were to occur in real life, her mother who lived with her and interacted and observed her daily would have
likely brought in psychological help. Or her mother would have taken her to the hospital for a
psychological evaluation where they would have held her on a court order for mandated treatment
considering how far she had decompensated. She would have been prescribed psychiatric medication
immediately which could have saved her life. Instead she suffered a severe injury when she stabbed
herself thinking she was stabbing Lily and as a result she died onstage at the end of her opening night as
the Swan Queen.

We learn at the end of the film that Lily was not out to get Nina. It turns out that it was a part of herself
(her alter ego) that was sabotaging her. Thus, Nina was caught up in a delusion, which lead to her
demise. This type of delusion is what we call a persecutory delusion where an individual believes that
someone is following them, is out to get them or is out to harm them. It is likely that Nina would have been
diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia if she had lived past her performance. To receive this diagnosis
the psychotic symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, bizarre thought processes, etc) have to have been
present for a period of 6 months and can't be explained by any other disorder or medical condition. There
is a strong genetic link for schizophrenia, and it appears that her mother has some psychopathology
present as well. Early to mid adulthood is the prime time for onset of this disorder which is about the age
that Nina is in the movie. Stress of any kind (physical, psychological or social) can trigger a psychotic
disorder such as schizophrenia to emerge if the predisposition for the disorder is there.
Some reviewers question whether Nina's mother was actually in the room asleep in the corner when she
was completing her director's assignment to touch herself. I actually hadn't thought that she could have
imagined that. I am still not convinced that was part of her hallucination. Her mother's behavior was
intrusive and odd, and it is quite likely that her mother could have been hovering over her. On the day
Nina awoke after her complete breakdown, her mother was sitting by her bedside and had locked her in
her room to try to keep her from showing up to her opening night; so I'm thinking her mother slept in her
room on several occasions. That is part of their twisted and enmeshed relationship. Barbara Hersey
turned in a rather creepy portrayal of Nina’s mother by undressing Nina at night, asking intrusive personal
questions and controlling all aspects of her environment and daily life including when she could go out,
what to eat, what to wear, etc. Barbara's performance is reminiscent of Joan Crawford’s Mommy Dearest
role with a more disturbing feel to it.

My only complaint is that the black swan scenes were too short. I would have loved to have seen
extended or additional scenes to showcase her embodiment of that role. This is what drew us to the film
in the first place and it felt quite like a teaser that didn't deliver fully. I was left wanting more.
To add to the spooky feel, the addition of fluttering wings accompany creaking doors, sewing machines
and subway rumblings in scenes throughout the film which was a brilliant move on Darren Arronofsky's
part. Again this gives us an idea of what the world looks and sounds like through Nina's eyes. Voices,
heavy breathing and psychotic laughter seem to unnerve Nina (and us) as she enters rooms and walks
down dark hallways. This helps create the sinister tone of much of the film along with the frantic, shaky
way the movie was shot. All of these aspects worked together seamlessly to create a masterpiece.
Nothing about this movie is polished. It has a very raw, uncut feel throughout. I think is parallels Nina's
frenetic perception of the world around her as well, which I appreciated. I don't think the film would have
worked as well if it had been presented in any other way.

Black Swan also depicts the Ballerina world that is centered around perfection and total commitment. It is
all consuming and requires utter dedication that often spirals out of control leading to disastrous results. It
is the perfect avenue to stage a mental breakdown as the stress level is so high and so much rides on
their ability to perform flawlessly on a consistent basis.

Nina's drive and commitment to dance not only lead to psychosis but other psychopathology is present as
well. Nina appears anorexic and obsessive about her routines and technique. She most likely suffers from
obsessive compulsive personality disorder and it is clear that she is a perfectionist as evidenced by her
insistence on practicing routines well past a healthy limit and even through serious injuries. Even in her
final moments she is consumed with perfection. Her last words to her director were "I was perfect." Also
there is an unnatural attachment to childhood objects. Her room is comprised of dolls, stuffed animals and
a music box with a dancing ballerina. When she speaks it is with a soft and childlike voice especially
when interacting with her mother. To say she is sheltered and naive is a huge understatement. Her
development is so stunted that it is scarier at times than her psychotic breakdown. Nina is most likely in
her early to mid-twenties and still lives with her overbearing and over-involved mother. She appears to
have no life outside of dancing and no friends at all. In fact, most of the dancers in the
company ostracize Nina due to her peculiar behavior. Lack of social support could also contribute to her
breakdown. Lily is the only person we see that attempts to interact with her and she becomes a person
that Nina suspects is after her.
Lily was a pivotal character in this film which leads me to wonder why wasn’t Mila Kunis given more
recognition for her contribution. She was seductive, sensual and free from any social constraints. She
was the perfect antithesis to Nina Sayers. I don't even recall Natalie Portman listing Mila in her
acceptance speech which I was disappointed in. That brings me to another point. Leading up to the film a
lot of the buzz about Black Swan was centered on the sex scene between Lily and Nina. Natalie Portman
is even quoted in several interviews about the fact that this scene was added to draw in male viewers. If
that is the case then that is a shame. There are so many aspects about this film that make it an
extraordinary film. Those merits would have been enough to bring in and sustain any viewer (male or
female). I don't think a 2 minute sex scene is necessary to make this film more desirable. In fact hearing
that it could have been added for that reason alone almost cheapens it and certainly seems to bring into
question the director's confidence in Natalie's performance. There should have never been any doubt that
she could pull this off without the need of sexual exploitations.

Obviously the most striking and also the most disturbing scenes are those toward the end where she
starts to transform physically and mentally into the Black Swan - growing wings, legs becoming deformed
into bird like appendages and toes becoming webbed. Truly magnificent and horrifying simultaneously but
very dramatic!!

I'm giving this movie 4.5 stars out of 5. I really loved this movie and I'm so tempted to give it 5 stars
because I'm in awe of Natalie's performance. However, I am docking it 1/2 a star because I feel that we
didn't get enough of the black swan scenes. I feel that is the only drawback to the film. The whole movie
builds up to the moment when she loses herself and is transformed into the black swan and those
moments are some of the most brilliant I have ever seen on the screen, but I was left wanting much more.
Natalie was so dazzling in those moments that I could watch her all night long. I think her performance is
one of the greatest performances ever on film. I am ranking it up there with Charlize Theron in Monster,
which I consider to have been the best to date and now they are equal in my opinion. Natalie is one of the
best actresses we have now and I think she is going to be a consistently stellar actress for many decades
to come. She showed so much promise at such a young age in The Professional and Beautiful Girls and I
knew she would grow into a very successful actress. I just didn't realize she would reset the bar for
Hollywood. I hope others are inspired by her work and challenge themselves to turn in more dramatic and
mind blowing performances in the future.

4.5 Stars out of 5

Khan (1973) writes that “the unique achievement of Freud is that he invented and established a
therapeutic space and distance for the patient and the analyst. In this space and distance the relating
becomes feasible only through the capacity in each to sustain illusion and to work with it.” For
moviegoers, the screen becomes the transitional space as we struggle, in Darren Aronofsky’sBlack
Swan, to sustain contact with the fragmenting world of ingénue prima ballerina Nina Sayers (Natalie
Portman) whose tenuous hold on reality simultaneously confuses and enthralls the audience. Khan
states “The vehicle of this working with illusion is symbolic discourse,” but the symbolism moviegoers
embrace is the visual image. Just as the ‘good enough’ therapist (or mom) opens and sustains the
transitional space by never asking ‘what is created and what exists in external reality’ (Winnicott),
likewise, when watchingBlack Swan, we do not ask what is real and what is hallucination.

Aronofksy uses Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake, a fairy tale of transformation in which the princess
Odette is turned into a bird by an evil magician who tries to marry his daughter Odile, in Odette’s
stead, to the prince Siegfried. Odette is released from her bird form only by love or by death. In the
film Black Swan, it is the choreographer Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) who wants Nina (who is perfect
to dance the virtuous White Swan) to transform herself so that she can likewise become a perfect Black
Swan.

More than just a battle of good and evil, this film of the doppelganger White/Black Swan speaks to the
multiple selves that make up each of us. In his review of Black Swan Roger Ebert writes “It is one thing
to lose yourself in your art. Portman’s ballerina loses her mind.”

Our inability to “stand in the spaces” between multiple self states, to balance each and privilege
rigidly none, is, according to Bromberg, what leads to pathology. If one dissociates parts of one’s self
such that these parts become unrecognizable to the self, then these disavowed parts of the self
become ‘not-me,’ and are unusable to enrich and create experience. When Nina looks in the mirror,
whose reflection appears is sometimes foreign to Nina as she seeks to dance both the white and black
swans perfectly. Aronofsky and, especially, Portman dedicate themselves to the grueling and unnatural
demands of ballet, which transcends the normal human body into twisted perfection.

In this performance, Portman outpaces all the competition for Best Actress. Like a trembling rabbit
with hawks circling overhead, Portman’s exquisite and unrelenting expressions of confusion and fear
draw us in to her fragmenting sense of self. For Nina there are many dangers, from her ominously
impinging mother (well played by Barbara Hershey), from her sexy, alternate rival (Mila Kunis), and
from within.

While I would not choose Black Swan for Best Picture, it is, in my view, a close contender, and I was
glad for Aronofsky, particularly since The Wrestler (2008) was, I think, wrongly overlooked in the
nominations for Best Picture.
Khan, M.M. (1973). The Role of Illusion in the Analytic Space and Process. Ann. Psychoanal., 1:231-246.
 Harry "Breaker" Morant, an Australian-born horseman, soldier and poet, was executed in South
Africa in 1902 for alleged war crimes committed during the Second Boer War. His famous (and
awesome) last words were "shoot straight you bastards. Don't make a mess of it." Since that time, ol'
Harry "The Breaker" has become something of a folk hero in Australia, partly, no doubt, for his cool,
debonair recalcitrance in the gravest of circumstances.

That the Aussies have accorded first-rate status to a criminal like Harry is perhaps not surprising,
given how much their culture esteems moxy like his, a passion that is conspicuously betrayed in
their cult of Cygnus Atratus (i.e., the black swan), an even more prominent figure in Australian
culture and lore than he. This anomalous creature is on the flag and coat of arms of Western
Australia, and has for a long time been the embodiment of the antipodean spirit in Australia. It is a
bird that is at once rare, exceptional, and problematical, throwing a wrench, as it did, in our plans to
continue calling swans necessarily white birds.

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But that conception of black swans is not unique to Australia. It exists here, if in a significantly more
diffuse and abstract form. Many of us know that to figuratively behold a black swan means to
confront something wholly unexpected and unique, something that inconveniently challenges our
beliefs and assumptions.

This understanding has penetrated the global pop culture ether, and naturally plays a prominent role
in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, in which Nina's antagonist - her black swan - is the exotically
unpredictable Lily. Lily destabilizes Nina's perceptions of many things, and threatens to take many
things from her including her most central fixation: dance. Seemingly in an instant, Nina's world
collapses. But Lily does not serve solely destructive purposes; she also represents a potent, albeit
utterly unanticipated and unwanted, force for change in Nina. These two facets of the relationship
between Lily and Nina echo the bipolar opportunities that metaphorical black swans represent;
always destructive, but often eventually constructive.

We can even get a little more concrete here and take a formal approach to understanding what the
heck is going on with Nina. There is a theory, conveniently dubbed Black Swan Theory (or,
the Theory of Black Swan Events; Taleb, 2007), which sheds light on the impact that unpredictable
and rare black swan events (examples of which include the Internet revolution, World War I, and
September 11th) have in our lives.

Black Swan Theory is easy enough to understand; in a nutshell, it is this: Despite their relative rarity,
events that are impossible to predict play a disproportionately large role compared to predictable
events in shaping world history (as well as the personal histories of individual people like Nina).
Despite this fact, people generally discount the tremendous causal impact of these unpredictable
events after the fact, claiming in hindsight that such events were predictable after all, in fact they
were expected. This hindsight bias makes us believe that the world is more predictable than it is in
reality, blinding us to the potential for future black swan events.

Why does this happen? Because it is always comforting (and often useful, in fact) to believe that the
world is a safe, predictable place. It feels good to be overly optimistic and to feel in control of one's
destiny, and that everyone else is in control of his or her destiny. That if I do a,b, and c then x,y, and
z will result. But if we take this comforting and illusory form of thinking overboard by under-
representing uncertainty in our efforts to predict the future, we leave ourselves vulnerable to the
jarring peck of the black swan.

How can we cope with black swan events? The key is not to try to predict them because by definition
they are not susceptible to that. We can, however, guard against them by basically being more
cautious. Don't allow corporations or industries to get so big that they are "too big to fail." Back up
your files. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. For Nina, the key would be to engage in an
assortment of professional and leisurely pursuits in addition to dancing.

The bottom line is that unless you're willing to risk a black swan smackdown, you must refrain from
harboring undue confidence in your ability to predict how things will go. Check yourself before you
wreck yourself, as it were. This requires a balanced approach tempered by reasonably conservative
and tentative decisions. That should help you avoid the unforeseen hazards that are undoubtedly in
your future, like firing squads.
I just returned from seeing Black Swan at the cinema. As a piece of filmmaking, it is
absolutely phenomenal. I have loved Darren Aronofsky since his debut, Pi. The only one of
his films I have not seen is The Wrestler, mainly because that came out when I was living in
China. I admit I don’t quite understand the story of The Fountain, but … ah, what storytelling!
Thus, he did not disappoint me with Black Swan, pushing us uncomfortably close to a mind
maintaining but a tenuous hold on reality, gripping it with fingers slick with the sweat of
obsession. But the question that my own mind is currently obsessing over is this: IsBlack
Swan ultimately a realization of or biting critique of Freudian psychology and Joseph
Campbell’s Monomyth?
You can’t help but read the film in Freudian terms. I think I’ve seen the word “psychosexual”
in nearly every review of it I’ve read. All the classic Freudian players are here: the
overbearing, Superego of a mother, the fragile, repressed Ego hero, the free-spirited Id. The
movie no less can be read in terms of Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth, with its Jungian
concepts: the Bad Mother, the Hero, the Shadow, the Father. But the complexities that the
film is able to twirl around with those concepts is what captivates me.
On the one hand, we have the Freudian reading: Nina, a sexually repressed ballerina lives
at the mercy of her overbearing Superego, personified as her mother. Through her dancing
and the prodding of her psychoanalyst/ballet director (who speaks in terms of
“breakthroughs” and even sits her down on his couch before grilling her about her
sexuality), she is able to unleash and ultimately harness her Id, breaking free of the
confines of her oppressive Superego and achieving the height of perfection.

Joseph Campbell would describe it slightly differently, though in no less lofty terms: the
Hero embarks on a journey of self-actualization by slipping out of her childhood prison (her
Mother’s home/womb), aka The First Threshold, besting its Guardian (the Bad Mother), and
entering the world of Adult Experience. There, she is confronted by her Shadow (her
repressed sexuality) but with the guidance of her Father-figure/Mentor, she is able to
overcome and assimilate her Shadow, becoming the Master of Two Worlds (her psyche and
the stage) and reaching the height of perfection.

However, the critique of these readings comes in the actual events of the film, the things
these overly metaphorical interpretations gloss over or try to nullify. The film’s horrifying plot
introduces enough ambiguity that cracks begin to appear, if the above readings are not
shattered altogether.
Take, for instance, Thomas Leroy, the ballet instructor. His obsession with Nina’s sexuality
practically makes him a stand-in for Freud himself. Psychoanalysis would say he’s trying to
help Nina express what has been repressed in her, but he’s doing that by literally sexually
molesting her, both physically and psychologically. Furthermore, he has areputation for this
behavior. In what world could this possibly be acceptable? A world in which Freud is le roi.
The ending even complicates a black and white reading of Erica, Nina’s mother. Given a
nuanced consideration, Erica can be seen as genuinely trying to keep her daughter alive,
albeit in a severely imperfect way. Erica shows signs of mental disorder herself, but her
actions are not only oppressive. She is also trying to protect her daughter, who exhibits
signs of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (different from OCD), self-destructive
mutilation, paranoid psychosis, and, ultimately, suicidal tendencies.
The ending, though, delivers the coup de grâce. Aronofsky achieves it by mixing the
metaphorical with the literal when Nina finally battles her doppelgänger for psychic
dominance. Campbell and Jung see this confrontation with what they call the Shadow as
the ultimate test in human self-actualization and individuation. You must confront,
overcome, and assimilate the Shadow, integrating it into your personality without it taking
over, actualized in the movie by Nina’s fight with the phantom Lily/Nina/Black Swan in her
dressing room, during which Nina confronts L/N/BS, stabs her to death (overcoming), and
then delivers a bravura performance as the Black Swan in the ballet (assimilation). But the
Shadow is part of your own psyche, so when you battle it (even figuratively) you are battling
yourself. Thus, when Nina stabs her doppelgänger, she is literally stabbing herself.

This battle with her Shadow allows Nina to become the master of both her own psyche and
the stage, a heroic triumph for Jung and Campbell. But it literally means death. This
undercuts the entire Monomythic project and calls into question a society that would
empower a perverted ballet director and hold as the ultimate perfection a suicidal
(literallysuicidal) obsession with achievement. Nina reaches her ultimate glory when she is
at the height of her psychosis. Her catharsis, her breathy and elated realization of perfection
as she bleeds to death, should give anyone pause the next time they hear Joseph
Campbell’s maxim: “Follow your bliss.”
Ultimately, however, the question is am I seeing this in the film because Darren Aronofsky
wants me to or because I want me to? I obviously have little love for Freud, Jung, or
Campbell and quite a bit of love for Aronofsky. Thus, I recognize in myself a desire to see
my own beliefs and values reflected in Aronofsky’s work. I don’t know. I’ll have to meditate
on it. Because Black Swan does conform very well to Freudian and Jungian readings. But,
honestly, their theories are so elastic, unscientific, and subjective that they consume and
eradicate any utterance or text, which, of course, does not mean they are in any way
“correct.” Ah, but that ending … it just seems so … perfect.
And a shout-out to the maestro of maestros, Clint Mansell, for another phenomenal
soundtrack.