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Welcome to Podmortem. I'm Travis Hunter Syappin, joined as always by my co-hosts, my sister and my brother-in-law. Hi, I'm Renee Hunter Vasquez. Hi, I'm John Paul Vasquez. This week, we're broadcasting live from the Lincoln Center of Performing Arts, discussing the 2010 psychological horror film, Black Swan. This film was directed by Darren Aronofsky from a screenplay by Mark Heyman, Andres Hines, and John McLaughlin.
After having spent years in creative gestation, the acclaimed Aronofsky was finally given the green light to move forward with his fifth feature film in Black Swan. This film tackles themes of perfectionism, paranoia, obsession, repression, sexuality, and identity, all while offering reverence to ballet and the world of professional dance.
With powerful performances, captivating camera work, a sensational score, dynamic production design, memorably mind-bending moments, and a brutal display of body horror, Black Swan would not only garner box office success, critical acclaim, and awards recognition, but it remains a favorite among fans of the genre 15 years after its release. This film was suggested to us by friends of the show, Carissa, Dylan, Zero, and probably my jug.
We want to thank them all for their continued support of the show, as well as this suggestion. This film was also the winner of our April Patreon poll, so thank you to all of our patrons who participated and voted. If you want to help us pick an episode, join us over on Patreon at patreon.com slash thepodmortem. So, Black Swan, what were your first impressions on the film? I don't remember exactly, but I know your sister made me watch it.
Babe, I'm sure you'd probably remember. I don't remember what year it was. I remember watching it. But I do remember being confused and kind of, I'll be honest, I didn't like it.
I kind of was just like, I don't, you know what I mean? I was like, I don't understand what's going on. But I think also that was at a time where I'm just watching movies just to kind of watch what's going on. You know what I mean? Which I still kind of do. But then I wasn't so much as paying attention to a lot of what's going on. now that I have had time to grow and understand film better. And you know what I mean? We, we do this and we, you know,
I appreciate everything that the movie does. I like how good it looks. The camera work, like you said a little bit ago, I was telling your sister, the camera work is like fantastic. following the dancers. We're right here. We're next to them. We're over here. It's all very flawless. It looks great. I just think because I watched it and even though I watched it and I knew that this was a really good movie, I think psychological horror is just not my thing.
But I can, in all honesty, say how much I appreciate and understand how people could love this movie. is is like does some shit and it looks it looks cool it looks really cool and all the hard work that must have went into the dancing and the choreography and all the stuff going into it and everybody does a really good job I just think for me, it's still at the end of it. I'm just kind of watching it.
for what's happening on the screen and I like I said I think I just came to that conclusion that it's like you know psychological horror is just not my favorite horror genre I was trying to think. I don't know when the first time I watched this was. I do remember showing you and I remember. several times loving it because psychological horror is my right it's up there for me um and i do everything that's that's being conveyed in this film like
the story itself and then the symbolism behind what we're seeing, it just really blew me away. I am a big fan of Aronofsky's work. I think that...
Some of it is very visceral and unforgettable to the point where it is upsetting and hard to revisit. Yeah. This one has shades of that, but I think it is a little more... accessible than some of the other stuff that he's done i think that it is stunning i think the performances are amazing using the music from swan lake which i love i used to pull it up on youtube and listen to it a lot yeah um The costuming, the dancing, like, I mean, it's all the effects.
And I know that we talked about it last week, blending practical and it's not to that extreme of last week, but. Blending practical and digital in a way that is 90% of the time completely gorgeous and seamless. I just really love this film. I think that it has something to say and I think that it conveys it in a... sad, but gorgeous way, if that makes sense.
No, I think that makes perfect sense. This is a very, very beautiful film that is very well crafted. I remember the first time I watched it. This film has the distinction for me of being the first film that I ever saw by myself in a movie theater. Okay. I saw it. I was, I guess 2010, I must've been 19 years old. And so I feel like that was like the burgeoning.
cinephile in me, I guess. Okay. And so this was a very artsy film for 19 year old me to see. And I was absolutely riveted, completely captivated by it. I don't know exactly why it took us so long to cover it on the show. I have part of a reason why. I think I had to talk my way through it. But it's always been very special to me.
Jules and I were just talking about it. It's one of their favorites too. It was a no brainer for me to put it on my birthday poll for Patreon. And I'm glad that it was picked. I just think that this film like you said it has so much to say it has so much to say about this quest for perfectionism, obsession in performance. It is very interestingly crafted in a way that some things remain ambiguous as to what is even happening.
an unreliable narrator, which I know we all appreciate a lot. And I just think that the aesthetic of it, the story is just told in such an artful way. I appreciate the elements of surrealism. I love the music. Like you said, the way that they use Swan Lake in certain ways and then kind of like mix it up and do their own thing with it through the compositions of the composer. Yeah. It's really, really brilliant work.
And like you said, the cinematography, you feel so immersed in every action. Yeah. You are right there. And when things start to get like a little. unsettling or there's these feelings of paranoia yeah you feel it with Nina Yeah. Because everything is so up close and personal. Everything is so visceral. And everything that they do regarding dance, it feels so believable and authentic to this world. Oh, yeah. That's what I'm saying. Like the camera work, and I know we'll get into it, but.
again like i said the dancing it is because there is really cool shots when they're dancing and we're next to them and it's like how How fucking hard did that have to be to do that? Yeah. The level of skill in just about every aspect of this film, not just the way that it's directed, but the way that it is shot.
the way that the production design shines through. There are so many little, like, teases. There are so many... subtle and subliminal moments of horror that even though I wrote the script and I was like going through this film with a fine tooth comb, I guarantee I missed. A lot. There's a lot. Yeah. And it's just really, really remarkable. And you do. It's like this descent. And you are on this ride with the main character. Yeah.
But I also love how they incorporate Swan Lake, not just through the score, but through narrative elements. and parallels with what everyone is going through throughout this production process. I think that it brings in a lot of influences in a very, very remarkable way. I really struggle to think of anything that I don't like about this film. I think that the only thing that does give me minor pause and just like a little like, eh. Episode 131. Literally half this show's lifetime ago.
And when we watched it for the first time, we recognized so many elements. from Perfect Blue that we had seen. in Black Swan, even though it came years later. Right, right. And it's not to say that Black Swan's a one-for-one of perfect blue. No, of course not. Because it absolutely isn't. There's so much originality, so many unique ideas here that are very wholly original to this film. But it was just... I don't know doing a lot of research for this film.
It was a little strange and disheartening to see Perfect Blue barely mentioned at all. And when it is brought up, Aronofsky says that it wasn't an influence. He says that he sees the similarities. but it was not an influence on Black Swan. I find that hard to believe. Yeah. Yeah. Because he referenced Perfect Blue so explicitly in Requiem for a Dream. Yes. So it's just, I don't know.
bothered me to hear that not that it is a takeaway from the film yeah or anything that is negative against the film but i just i like when people talk about their influences openly i i agree we've talked about this a lot before i think that sometimes we consume things be them books or movies that
affect us so deeply that it bleeds into what we create ourselves and so even if it was and i i'm not saying i believe that it wasn't conscious but even if it wasn't conscious somebody pointing out oh i would be like wow I didn't even think of that, but yeah, I fucking love that movie. So I can definitely see how it would come, you know?
But I know, but you've done it before. You know it was playing in the background while you were working on this. And that's okay. And there are so many moments that it would be really cool to say, yeah, that was an homage. Yeah. Because it is. Yeah. But I mean, I don't know. I just feel like maybe it is possibly like you're saying this unconscious decision.
referencing something that you absolutely and definitely love. And there are plenty more influences that... work their way into this film that he did give mention to and pay homage to okay and so it's just always very peculiar to me and we even talked about it on that episode where it's like it's so strange But I also completely disagree with a lot of things that I've read online where they're like, oh, Black Swan's just a rip off of Perfect Blue.
No, it's not. No. It's very, very different in a lot of ways, too. I will say a lot of it is vibe because... I hadn't seen Black Swan in a really long time, and when we did cover Perfect Blue, I was like, oh my god, this is so similar to Black Swan. And then watching Black Swan, I'm like, it's not as similar as I thought that it was, but definitely the shades are there. And there are moments where I'm like, oh, that is so perfect blue. And so, yeah, whatever. Whatever you say.
I will say, though, before we get into the production portion and learn how this film was made, I really, really want to highlight. the cast of this film right i am surprised every single time when i watch this film and certain people show up it is so incredibly cast And the performances are beyond remarkable. Yeah. What is asked of these performers and what they do, they...
Natalie Portman in particular. Yeah. She does so much in this role and there's a lot of really subtle moments that I just I am very glad that she got the recognition that she deserved the year that this came out. Yeah. But as we move into the production portion to discuss how this film was made, I do want to acknowledge the sources that I found in my research that I will be referencing throughout.
The first of which is a making-of documentary called Metamorphosis, which had a lot of really good information. I also found an interview with Darren Aronofsky that he did with IndieWire, another interview with Aronofsky in CinemaBlend, and an interview with Aronofsky from, of all places, MTV.com. So the beginnings of Black Swan take us all the way back to the year 2000, 25 years ago, when Darren Aronofsky was putting his finishing touches on Requiem for a Dream.
He had been reading Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Double, the premise of which, in very basic summary, revolves around a man who encounters his exact double and he begins to take over the man's life. Oh, damn. Which sounds awful. Yes. Great story, terrible thing. But Aronofsky thought about doing something with this novella specifically. And by chance, around the same time, he went to see a production of Swan Lake.
While he's watching it, he has this very real aha moment when he realizes that in the ballet, the white swan and the black swan are played by the same dancer. And he thought to himself, this is basically the double, but in the world of ballet. And so he put this idea in his back pocket. Okay. But shortly after this, a script comes to Aronofsky by Andres Hines called The Understudy.
And within it, Aronofsky recognized elements of not only All About Eve and Polanski's The Tenant, but Dostoevsky's The Double. Okay. And so, interestingly, it went unproduced for a very long time, this screenplay, with a lot of producers trying to make it work in different ways, including setting it in the world of off-Broadway plays. But no matter what they did, they just couldn't find a way into it to make it work.
So Aronofsky, years pass, and he finally returns to Heinz's script again sometime after 2006. And he learns that there still has not been any movement on it. And so he brings it to a screenwriter friend of his, John McLaughlin, who he had worked with in the past. He explains his ideas of Swan Lake and the double and kind of putting them together. And McLaughlin runs with it.
and he transports the story of The Understudy into the world of ballet, and he changes the title from The Understudy to Black Swan. Okay. Afterwards, they take it to Universal since Aronofsky had a deal with them. But for some reason, the script just still didn't quite work. And so after discussions and meetings, the project stalls once again. So it isn't until after Aronofsky directs The Wrestler in 2008 that he decides that he wants to return to this idea and this script.
So he asks Mark Heyman, who is the director of development at Aronofsky's production company, to take a crack at it. Heyman had put in some uncredited work on the screenplay of The Wrestler, and he had expressed an interest to Aronofsky on getting more into screenwriting, and so it was just the perfect timing of it.
Aronofsky said, you know, you got into the world of professional wrestling the last time and helped her screenwriter figure out some story beats. What do you think about getting into the world of professional ballet? And Heyman was down for it. Okay. So now, with a workable screenplay that functions fully in all the way that it needs to, they start shopping it around. And according to Aronofsky... Everyone rejected it. Wow. Which is astounding to me.
But the most difficult part of it and the reason why a lot of studios did reject it is because they couldn't make sense of it financially. They didn't know the marketability of it and how well it would perform at the box office versus the budget necessary to make it. And so they would just pass on it. That's so annoying. Very. They were like, this is just a perfect blueprint. What the fuck is this?
But at this point, Fox Searchlight steps in, and when it's learned that they don't like the level of financial obligation that would be necessary to produce this project, Aronofsky and his producing partners independently raised $1 million to take some of the pressure off of Fox. Damn.
It also didn't hurt that the president of production at the time at Fox Searchlight, a woman by the name of Claudia Lewis, was actively giving them notes on the screenplay and was a big fan of Aronofsky's proposed casting choices for the film. So it was almost like we're working to making it work. Yeah. Eventually they did. I will say I read that the budget initially was supposed to be $25 million. But it was trimmed down to, and it depends on the source.
Either 15 million or 13 million dollars. Wow. And this made it incredibly difficult for the production. Jesus. Jesus. But Aronofsky and the crew did extensive research, not only in the world of ballet, but specifically in the story of Swan Lake. And Aronofsky had mentioned he found the world of ballet to be very insulated. But once he expressed an interest to really dive into the world and do it justice.
it just opened up to him and he was allowed to ingratiate himself into it. And he even mentioned kind of having unfettered access with not only interviewing former and current professional dancers. But whenever the Bolshoi ballet out of Moscow performed at the Lincoln Center, he was allowed in the wings to watch. Wow. Okay.
And so this experience obviously gave him more of an idea as far as the cinematography and how he wanted to capture this world. But he was very, very focused on accurately portraying it. And I think it's something that was very successful. But very interestingly, he did the exact same thing whenever he made The Wrestler. And he even said that he sees the two films as companion pieces. of the extremes of the human body and people putting their bodies through pain as a form of self-expression.
Oh, okay. I was going to say, I thought that was about wrestling, not about dancing. Well, I mean, it's choreographed in a way. It's very painful. Right. If wrestling's fake, explain this. interestingly he did mention he said that years and years ago yeah he had this idea of almost like a romantic story of a professional wrestler and a professional ballet dancer meeting and falling in love and it's like a whole thing
Huh. But then he eventually decided that it was too much for one story and he just kind of branched both ideas off of each other. Okay. And that's really interesting because you're like, well, you made The Wrestler and then you made Black Swan. Yeah. But he also said that the story of Swan Lake itself inspired a lot of the elements of body horror that we get in this film. And it is very interesting how it is integrated. And I know that we'll definitely get into that a little bit later.
But the film had its world premiere in 2010, opening the Venice Film Festival, where it made quite a splash. You know, like a swan. After making the rounds on the festival circuit, it opened in a very successful limited release before finally going wide and making over. And I did not know this. $300 million. Damn.
So it definitely, it could have been given that 25. Clearly. But it also holds the distinction of being one of only seven horror films ever to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. oh wow that is amazing but seven is like insulting yeah we got a lot a lot of way to go Now, before we obsess over this film we would like to issue a warning for spoilers.
Pod Mortem is a very in-depth podcast, and in thoroughly discussing horror films, we have no choice but to spoil a thing or two. If you don't wish to be spoiled, please go watch the film, then come back and enjoy the show. If you've already seen the film or don't care about spoilers, let's dance. So the film begins with the opening credits in white against the black background.
Serene Strings sings sweetly in the score, accompanied by swelling pulses of an orchestral ensemble, as we hear distorted, mocking laughter echoing distantly, and we get the title, Black Swan. So very quickly, I do want to talk about the score for a little bit. Just a little bit, not too long. The composer was a guy called Clint Mansell, and he actually worked with Aronofsky on Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, and The Wrestler.
Damn. But he also scored Love Lies Bleeding for Rose Glass and the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror. Oh, all right. Say no more. But I read in BMI that, of course, naturally, the starting point for the entire score was obviously Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. But he used it as a building block and he expanded on it like we talked about in the intro in very unique and very interesting and original ways. And according to Aronofsky, this was always the plan.
because he said to simply use Tchaikovsky's music... it wouldn't work because every note is so recognizable. He said, you hear it even as a kid in like Bugs Bunny cartoons. Yeah. And so he was like, we have to find a way to make it our own and to make it fit the drama of the scene properly. And so that's exactly what Mansell did. And it is a brilliant score. But unfortunately, because of this and the use of Tchaikovsky Swan Lake as such a prominent source of inspiration.
Clint Mansell's score for Black Swan was disqualified from the Academy Awards. That sucks. Wow. But like, I kind of understand. And it's. I feel like a lot of that happened. Like a lot of... stuff pertaining to who did what, who's credited with what, as far as the Academy Awards. Like that is a thing that kept coming up when I was reading about this film. But I think that it was still the right move because I feel like... The performance that it belongs to.
It permeates everything about this film, about this character that we're about to meet. It being such an integral part of everything that we hear, I think is very fitting. And it is this blend of... in a way that is echoed in the score this way. Yeah. So it really is a really smart decision. Yeah, that was one thing that, and I told your sister, I was like, I'm loving the music here. Yeah. I was like, through the whole movie, I was like, the music's fantastic.
But suddenly, a spotlight beams down from the upper left, highlighting the sheer, frilled white gown of a dancer through the darkness. She lowers her left arm under the light in somber resplendence. and we watch as her ballet slippers glide gracefully across the stage, turning thoughtfully, prancing perfectly, before dancing on point into a single spin to take her seat in the spotlight.
We see that the ballerina is Nina Sayers, played by Natalie Portman, and she sits surrounded by the skirt of her gown as she gazes outward, her eyes full of wonder and a sweet smile stretching across her lip. Natalie Portman. We talked about her in Mars Attacks. We did.
And I really don't think enough can be said about her performance. No. We'll talk a little bit later about all the preparation that she did to perform as Nina Sayers in the film. But I did read that her casting... started way earlier than you would have expected because Darren Aronofsky brought this idea to her back in 2002. God damn. And it was when he was still trying to even figure out what this screenplay could be.
And he wanted her as the lead and she was interested all the way back then. So eight years, she's sitting on this idea of her eventually playing this part. Damn. But the music grows ominous as through the darkness creeps a figure clad in dark clothing who approaches Nina from behind. She reaches her feet just as the figure crosses into the circle of light, and we see Sergio, played by Sergio Tirado, his face caked in a thick layer of stage makeup, acting as Rothbart to Nina's white swan.
The camera following her as she darts in several directions, desperate for an escape that she never finds. Her arms rise and flutter like wings, Rothbart mimicking her movements until the pair encircle each other. He steps backward, prancing into a pirouette, his now red eyes fixed in his monstrous face as his spotted turn ceases. A foul wind blows as dark horns sprout sharply from his scalp and his arms grow thick with feathers as black as a shadow.
The tempo increases rapidly and the music grows frenzied as Rothbart rejoins Nina. His long cape trails him as he lifts her off her feet and leads her through fluid choreography. culminating in tantalizing and disorienting twirls as the score reaches a dramatic crescendo and Rothbart releases Nina from his grasp.
She is then unveiled as the Swan Queen, her once lengthy skirt now a pristine pancake tutu, a glittering headpiece covering her ears, and white feathers bursting brightly from her plumed bodice. The camera arcs around her as she graces her face with the back of her hand, gliding it downward expressively, before bringing both of her hands down across her face like flowing tears.
The camera pulls back as Nina dances on point, all alone in the spotlight, her arms fluttering as the bright glow slowly dims to blackness. He was going for gasps, huh? Yes. I have to say, I really appreciate the opening of this film being this sequence. It's such a thoughtful... kind of representation of everything that we're about to see. Yeah. And he is, frankly, frightening. Yeah. I gasped.
This was pretty cool. I did watch it again because it looks great when he twirls and transforms, then her flying away at the end. And I was like, I was like, that looked really cool. But Nina awakens in her bed with a smile, her vivid dream still fresh in her mind as her bedroom door opens. She sits up, her nightgown of vibrant and silky pink, as she dangles her legs over the edge of her bed.
The array of stuffed animals who line the walls of her room watch as she cracks her neck and stretches her ankles, her bare feet angled over the hardwood floor. But sometime later, Nina practices yoga on a thin green mat in front of a large triptych mirror in the living room. As peaceful strings sound in the score, Nina takes a proper seat on the mat, a blur of dark clothing darting in front of the camera as she takes her foot in her hand and warms up the joint of her ankle in a circular motion.
Nina sweetly recounts her dream, recalling that in it, she was dancing the White Swan, though it was different choreography, noting that it was more like the Bolshois. but she remembers that it was the prologue when Rothbart casts his spell. When Nina's only answer to what she's shared is the sound of dishes rattling and clinking in the kitchen, she returns her focus to her ankle. Yeah, I was like, who is she talking to? I mean, we find out in a second, but I was like, oh, that's.
that's great dear you say something and I will say after her nightmare well it felt like a nightmare it felt like a nightmare but watching that dart go by I was like is that Rothbard But it's not. You just spin the film in fear of it. But I'm like, okay.
And again, there's nothing wrong with... having stuffed animals no but watching her wake up in this room and seeing how like the way that she speaks and the way that she carries herself my first thought is she seems very young right like yeah girlish you know what i mean like little girl yeah
That was something that I did hear about in an interview. Natalie Portman said that that was obviously the intention for this character. But she said that it was very difficult because early in her career, she was criticized for having that kind of a voice. And so she trained to not speak that way. Yeah. And so Aronofsky is like, no, we need that here. And so it's like, I bet that was a mind fuck. Yeah. I mean, like as a woman, you're going to be criticized no matter what your voice sounds like.
I think that she really nails it. And just as we meet who she is living with and their dynamic, this just infantilization, she just really embodies it very, very well. The way that she carries herself, you see what kind of dynamic these two have with each other. Yeah. And that kind of performance with these vocal choices. It allows for such a contrast as the film continues. Yeah. You have a long range that you can play when you start out like this, for sure.
But sometime later, at the bar in the kitchen, a plate is placed in front of Nina containing her breakfast, half of a grapefruit, and a single poached egg. Nina marvels childlike at the pink color of the fruit, smiling that it's pretty. She lifts her eyes from her breakfast to meet the gaze of Erica Sayers, her mother played by Barbara Hershey.
barbara hershey we talked about her in insidious yes i did not remember her being nina's mom really i didn't it had been so long since i'd seen this yeah but This casting? Yes. Yeah. Is... appallingly on point especially later because there's a scene where we're looking at one than the other and I'm like god damn like they could be mother and daughter oh yeah and I feel like her performance it's It's very surprising to me that she didn't get a supporting actress nomination.
Yeah. I think that she is really fantastic in this film, but there's so many fantastic performances that you kind of maybe get a little lost in the shuffle in a weird way. Right. But there was something interesting I read on the American Film Institute. And we were talking already about this very interesting, so to say, dynamic between these characters as the movie continues. As part of the production, as it continued filming, Aronofsky had Barbara Hershey write.
two letters as Erica to Nina and at random times during the production Aronofsky gave these letters to Natalie Portman to help her get into character for a certain moment damn okay i want to read these letters But Erica grins, and they both jovially repeat the word, pretty, in unison, the mother acknowledging Nina's chipper mood today. Nina concurs, scooping a bite of grapefruit into her mouth as she shares that he promised to feature her more this season.
Erica is pleased to hear this, but a slight amount of agitation inches its way into her voice as she states that he certainly should, considering that Nina's been there long enough and she's the most dedicated dancer in the company. But she softens, offering a smile, which Nina returns, and we find the pair in a wide shot, Nina reflected into a mirror that hangs on the far wall. So I have to just mention mirrors really quick because this is the first instance of this.
And we talked off my thinking of it being kind of a motif throughout the film. Yeah. And it is a really interesting idea to reflect the story through the cinematography to have two Ninas. Mm hmm. Her double in a way. Yeah. They had talked about it on that featurette where they said that they knew initially, immediately, that mirrors were going to play a huge role in the film.
not only because of that theme, but because of how crucial mirrors are in the world of ballet. But there are such subtle moments of the use of mirrors that are very interesting. Aronofsky talked about doing his best to stay away from cliches with mirrors in horror films. And I think he did a great job with that. Yeah. But he had said that in every shot. there are mirrors or reflective surfaces used in some way. Okay. You feel it. Yeah. I feel like it also, like the duality and the doubling.
but also like perception. Yeah. Yeah. There's a, there's a lot to be said and it is. There's some scary shit that does not fall into that category of, oh, of course that's going to happen. There's a mirror right there. So I do appreciate that because there are a couple of moments involving mirrors that are genuinely chilling. Yeah. But Erica approaches her daughter, clutching a gray sweater as she offers the simple instruction.
Up. Nina lifts her arms above her head, but before she can be helped into the garment, Erica stops to stare at an angry abrasion just under the thin strap of Nina's top. Erica sternly asks what it is, and after Nina takes a look at it in the mirror, she assures her mother that it's nothing. As Erica helps Nina into her sweater, she breathes an anxious sigh, asking Nina if she's sure that she doesn't want her to come with her today.
Nina looks away as she smiles nervously, her silence enough of an answer for Erica, who brings her daughter into an embrace. She breathes, you sweet girl, as she holds her daughter tightly. But unbeknownst to Nina, Erica's smile fades frighteningly fast as her eyes open in seeming ire. Yeah. Big problem. I was already thrown off by her offering to come with her. Yeah.
Yeah, I didn't understand. I understand like, you know, it's your first day. You got nerves or whatever. She's been going here. Yeah. And if anything, she started her morning in a great mood. she did yeah she did maybe that's part of the problem um this dynamic is very toxic and weird even down to her dressing her like she's a toddler yeah all of this was i i was like okay this is uncomfortable mom is dealing with some stuff and putting it on Nina when it's not on Nina.
But we find Nina on a subway train, the camera jostling as she stares at her reflection in the window. A screech emanates from the track, giving way to a sound reminiscent of fluttering wings as the train dips out of the darkness of a tunnel and is illuminated by the bright lights of a platform. They use that wing sound a lot and it is successful for me every time.
But Nina turns around to peer through the windows into a connecting car, where a woman stands clutching the railing. A woman who appears very similar in stature to Nina herself. While her hair is tied back in an identical bun, her dark outfit is in stark contrast to Nina's bright ensemble. But Nina watches the woman curiously, especially when she brushes an errant hair behind her ear in a movement that eerily echoes Nina's that exact same moment.
The woman departs the train immediately when the doors slide open, and unfortunately for Nina, her face is obscured as she moves in a blur across the platform. But Nina exits the train at her stop, ascending the stairs at the 66th Street and Lincoln Center Station, and we follow behind her as her certain steps take her through a plaza and to the Lincoln Center proper. Bright posters out front broadcasting. Winter classics reinvented. New season, February 12th.
under a photograph of Beth McIntyre, played by Winona Ryder, who poses in costume as the Swan Queen. it's lydia we talked about her in beetlejuice yes it's always a treat and a gift yeah and forever will be one of my favorite people. And I always am surprised every single time I watch Black Swan because I forget that she's in it. And so it really is a very nice surprise. And I feel like every scene that she's in, she steals it so easily. She does.
But Nina pauses for a moment to survey the poster, clearly reminiscing about the dream that found her in the night before she makes her way up the steps leading to the stage entrance of the building. A thoughtful piano plays in the score as Nina finds herself in front of a mirror in a dressing room, surrounded by members of her dance company. some seated at cluttered counters and others roaming from place to place, but all preparing for the practice ahead of them today.
Veronica, played by Xenia Solo, applies her mascara, asking if anyone else saw Beth today, expressing her disbelief that she's back. Galena, played by Christina Annapaw, responds cynically, her reflection cast in a small handheld mirror. Of course she's back. Veronica wonders if Beth can't take the hint. The company is broke because nobody comes to see her anymore. Madeline, played by Janet Montgomery, corrects her that no one comes to the ballet anymore at all, full stop.
As Nina trims at her slippers with a pair of small scissors, Veronica disagrees with Madeline, insisting that the royal just had one of their best seasons yet. Galena suggests that he just needs to try something new, but Veronica amends this suggestion. No, someone new. Madeline wonders who Veronica has in mind, and Veronica proposes someone who isn't approaching menopause. God damn, I was like, they're mean. It's wild.
Facing away from the other women, Nina mutters almost to herself that it's sad. Veronica lifts her eyes from the mirror to ask the back of Nina's head what she thinks is so sad and Nina, realizing the words actually escaped her, answers simply that Beth is such a beautiful dancer. When Galena snarks that her grandmother is too, Nina reminds the women that Fontaine danced into her 50s. Veronica knows this, of course, and is clearly unmoved by Nina's defense of Beth.
But the group is interrupted when Lily, played by Mila Kunis, stumbles into the doorway, Nina looking up at her, with recognition resting on her face when she realizes that Lily was the similarly statured woman from the train this morning. I think we all know her as Meg in Family Guy. We do indeed. Fair. As other things. Yeah. Yeah. I did read that Natalie Portman kind of recommended. Mila Kunis to Aronofsky because he was looking for somebody that
Kind of favored her, but didn't look exactly like her. And I guess they were friends. And so Natalie Portman recommended her. And Aronofsky had already been kind of captivated by her. This kind of made me laugh because it was from her performance in forgetting Sarah Marshall. I was like of all movies. I don't know why it's really funny to think of Aronofsky watching it.
That was funny to me. And it's funny. I never would have thought that they favored each other really at all. No. Yeah. But it did take some shots in this movie to where you're like, oh, OK, I see. Yeah. You know, and it's actually really good casting. But Lily stands casual with her hands resting on both sides of the doorframe as she asks if this is the dressing room for soloists. And though everyone turns to face her, only Nina answers silently with a nod.
Relieved and rather late, Lily walks over to an empty corner of the counter next to Galena, dropping her heavy purse with a clatter and sharing that she missed her fucking stop and had to hoof it all the way from 79th. Lily just shrugs off the awkwardness with ease when no one pays her any mind, but Nina's eyes remain fixed on her with a look of bewilderment and perhaps a bit of intrigue.
I was kind of curious why nobody responded to her. I know she's new or whatever, but at least, oh, that sucks or anything. He's like, mm-hmm. I was like, what a nice, warm welcome. Yeah. But, like, if you, if this is a soloist. situation and this is another person coming in that could be competition okay i don't know i just feel like It's just so mean. But I feel like she's the shot in the arm that this room needs. So we should probably make friends. Let's embrace Lily.
But we watch as a pair of pink ballet slippers are removed from their plastic covering, bent properly to be worked in, the thin supportive insole torn from the threading and cut clean from the slipper. They're whacked on the floor before being sewn tighter to a personalized size. We then see the bruised toes of the dancer preparing them being taped up before the shoes are slipped on, a smooth ribbon tied at her ankle.
Hatch marks are scratched into the sole with the blade of a scissor for traction and sprayed with water to mold tighter to the foot of the ballerina wearing them. She breaks them in, stretching and balancing on point, before we're promptly taken to an expansive dance studio, where dancers line long handrails for their bar work and warm-ups. their limbs lightly gracing the floor in unison at the direction of a ballet mistress, played by Marina Stavitskaya.
I remember some time back, I don't know what it was for or how I even came up on one of my social media feeds, but it was the thing about... what ballet dancers like put their feet through and their body and man, you've got to give them credit because the wear and tear on your feet and your legs and you're stretching and you're doing this constantly and being on your toes and like that shit's impressive and hard as fuck.
So like them watching them, what they're having to get their feet ready and their shoes and breaking them in. And it was like, damn, y'all like that's hard work. No, it's unbelievable. It's incredibly impressive. And I loved, it was so satisfying watching them prepare these slippers. Yeah. Like I would watch a full ASMR video on just these slippers being molded and like the... cuts being made. I loved it. It was really good.
I think it's a really wise thing to put into the film because it is demonstrating not only the research that went into it, but the reality, like you're saying. And it does kind of, it's almost like inside. I did see this interview with Natalie Portman and she was talking about how ballet dancers, if you go to the ballet, you see only the beautiful result of all of this. You don't realize all that does happen behind the scenes. the wear and tear like you're saying.
And that is also a connection that Darren Aronofsky made to professional wrestling. Okay. When he made The Wrestler. Yeah. And so he's kind of drawing these parallels between the two where it really is bodies being put to their... stream for entertainment. Yeah. Since we've moved into the dance studio proper, I do want to talk about some of these locations that they use for the filming of Black Swan. Okay.
I saw on that featurette that it took actually 43 days of filming entirely for the production. Which for all that we get was actually very surprising to me. Yes. But they had talked about getting one week of exteriors in New York City. And so that was the real subway. It's a real subway station. That's really the plaza at Lincoln Center, and that's really the exterior of Lincoln Center as well. Okay. But... Because of the need for all of these rehearsal spaces, all of these dressing rooms.
the stage that we eventually see. Yeah. Aronofsky talked about wanting to find a space that would allow for all of this, because again, you got $10 million slashed from your budget. Yeah. And so you're going. with less than you anticipated and so you need to find a way to make that work and so he said he's like how can we find something that can play for
the Met Opera or the New York State Theater. Yeah. He's like, we're filming in New York City, a city of culture and art constantly. He's like, there's nobody that is going to let us use a stage for this long. Right. And so very interestingly. They ran across the State University of New York at Purchase. And it just so happened that they were filming Black Swan during the winter. Okay. And so SUNY Purchase was on winter break.
And so it allowed for them to use the entirety of their performing arts. section damn and so all these hallways all these stairwells the offices the stage the principal studio this massive dance studio it's all there at this university that's awesome But the ballet mistress makes her way through the aisles of dancers in the mirror-walled room, and when she reaches Nina, she offers one word of correction before pressing on. Relax.
As she continues counting the dancers' steps to the accompaniment of piano, Thomas Leroy, the creative director played by Vincent Cassell, enters through the back of the room and stands at the railing above rows of seating. watching the dancers with his arms crossed. He does have a tiny cape on, it looks like. Is that what puts him in charge? I know it's a sweater, but it looks funny when he's walking around. I did read that Aronofsky had originally written this character to be Russian.
Okay. But he was a fan of Vincent Cassell. And so he had he just knew that he had wanted the cast to be international. So he was like, well, it doesn't he doesn't have to be Russian. And then he had no he didn't know at the time, but he watched videos. that Vincent Cassell had of his own father, Jean-Pierre Cassell. And basically he's like the Fred Astaire of France. Oh, wow. Is what he said. So it kind of fits.
you know, dancing in a way that he didn't even know when he gave him this role. Okay. I did remember hearing on the featurette there was something that Cassell had mentioned about... studying ballet when he was younger but not like to a very serious level right and so there was also that kind of a connection there for him to this character and we this character there's a lot of thoughts about toma right a lot
But he said that when you play a character like this, he said you have to find your way in to make sense in the mind of that character. Yeah. Why is he like this? And he said that the key to Tomah Leroy is narcissism. Okay. I can see that. And he said, Thomas sees his passion for ballet as an excuse for his behavior. And that's why he feels okay to do the things that he does.
all right well it's not one no it's not don't follow that ever no But the ballet mistress takes notice of him and orders the piano player, played by Arkady Figlin, to stop for a moment. In the newfound silence, Nina turns to notice Thomas standing there at a distance, somewhat intimidated by his presence, and all the other dancers rush to remove their bulkier layers of clothing to dance unencumbered under the watchful eye of their director.
When they started scrambling, I was like, oh, okay. I see how important this guy is. Lily, however, doesn't seem to notice Tomah or even care that he's arrived. But Thomas gestures to the ballet mistress, who smiles brightly and guides the dancers back into their practice to the tune of a jovial piano. Nina locks in, her moves graceful, her face expressive, as Thomas descends the staircase to greet the ballet mistress with a hug and pleasantries.
I will say his name is Thomas. It's spelled Thomas. Yeah. It was. I noticed that. So to my eyes, as I'm reading my script, I might fuck up a few times. You might run Burgundy. It's okay. But Tomás stalks through the aisles, his voice booming through the massive room and echoing off of the mirrors as he announces, You all know the story. Virginal girl, pure and sweet, trapped in the body of a swan. She desires freedom but only true love can break the spell.
As his eyes dart around the room, he reaches to tap the shoulder of a practicing ballerina. And then another. And through the aisles, he taps another. He fixes his hair in the mirror as he pauses to look at his reflection, but he continues his trek. I was like, that's just who this guy is. It's ridiculous. Tapping the ballerina practicing in front of Lily, Thomas adds that the girl's wish is nearly granted in the form of a print.
He taps another ballerina on the shoulder, sharing that before the prince can declare his love, her lustful twin, the Black Swan, tricks and seduces him. He nears Nina, whose movements grow more desperate and less relaxed. But as he taps the shoulder of the ballerina in front of her, he continues that devastated, the white swan leaps off of a cliff, killing herself. and in her death finds freedom.
Very interesting, I'll say. It is. But two more ballerinas are tapped on the shoulder as he makes his way to the front of the studio. And with a clap of his hands, the piano and the practice cease. With their full attention, Thomas bids the dance company good morning, which they return to him disjointedly. He then proudly proclaims that they will be opening their season with Swan Lake, admitting that though it's been done to death, it's never been done like this.
He proposes that they'll strip it down, make it visceral and real. As he paces through the middle aisle, Nina watching his every move intently, Tomá continues that a new production needs a new swan queen, a fresh face to present to the world. After a fleeting moment of eye contact with Nina, Tomá wonders which among them can embody both swans, the white and the black. After a moment of silence, Nina's eagerness on full display in her widened eyes, Thomas reveals,
All the soloists that I tapped go to your scheduled rehearsals this afternoon. And the girls I didn't tap meet me in the principal studio at five. what an emotional roller coaster yeah because when he didn't tap me i would have been crying right and then i feel so bad for everybody that he did tap because you know they were like yes uh-huh yeah but that it's a good thing right we didn't get tough
It is. It is for them. I'm crying at my neck. It's such a fucked up thing to do. And also I want to point out it is something that did annoy me from Toma. He calls all of these women girls constantly. Yeah. Yeah. And it's just like, come on, dude. But realization dawns on Nina, an astonished smile slowly creeping across her lips as Thoma thanks the group for their time and exits the studio.
Lily also flashes a sly smirk herself at being selected, as does Galena, but Veronica's grin gleams a lack of surprise, as if her selection was a foregone conclusion. I feel like her commentary in the dressing room where she's like, no, someone knew. Yeah. Clearly. But we cut to the hallway outside of the principal dance studio, where Nina sits far away from the rest of the selected dancers with her back to a beam, practicing graceful and expressive motions of her arms.
She hums music lowly to herself, but her dance is disturbed when she hears something clattering at the opposite end of the corridor. Nina rises to her feet, cautiously creeping her way to the door and discovering the source of the sound. She peers into the open door of the principal dressing room but stops startled when a glass vase is hurled at the wall, shattering loudly into pieces. She stands frozen, watching as a furious Beth trashes the room, her loud curses echoing into the hall.
Beth finally leaves the dressing room, slamming the door shut behind her, the door which bears her name on a placard. Noticing Nina standing in a stupor in front of her, Beth frustratedly shouts, what? Before slinging her purse over her shoulder and marching away down an adjacent hallway. What is wild?
But also mind your own business. She's not having a very good time. No. This is my dressing room. I will say her just saying that one line, I was like, that's a movie star. Like that was fantastic. But the door to the principal dressing room creaks open, a sliver of light beckoning Nina closer as Beth disappears around a distant corner. Nina steps slowly toward the widening crack in the door, looking both ways before she lets herself inside.
The score grows bright and wondrous as she makes her way past Beth's belongings and the poster for the new season that she saw outside of the center. She then takes a seat at the vanity at the far end of the room. Lit by the beaming bulbs that line the mirror, Nina reaches for a tube of Beth's lipstick.
an unearthly sigh escaping from somewhere distant as she takes the lid off and twists it upward, observing its vibrant red color before closing it and sliding it into the pocket of her sweatshirt. It was already for me ballsy as hell for Nina to come in here. Yeah. Because I was like, Beth is going to turn right back around and probably beat your ass. You're the room. Yes. But then stealing her lipstick. Yeah. That was my thing, dude. I was like, come on, dude. What are you doing?
But Nina exits the dressing room, once again looking around shiftily as she closes the door behind her. But in the principal studio, the camera frenetically follows Nina as she auditions for Tomá, the other selected dancers sitting against a mirror and waiting for their opportunity. A piano player, played by John Epperson, provides the ambiance and tempo for Nina's performance as she dances delicately, each step properly placed, each turn terrific, each flutter fanciful and expressive.
Tomá watches intently as Nina's dance reaches its end, and she strikes a pose at its conclusion as the piano ceases. Her eyes immediately glance over to Tomah, who promptly approaches her as she catches her breath. He leans in close enough to whisper into her ear, If I were only casting the white swan, she'd be yours. Nina lowers her head as Thoma backs away from her, reminding her, but I'm not.
Thomas instructs the piano player in the corner of the room to play Odile's coda, directing Nina to show him her black swan. Her eyes dart over to the waiting dancers, Veronica meeting her gaze and giving her a less than supportive stare as she makes her way over to her mark by the piano. The pianist changes his sheet music, and when Nina nods to him that she's ready, he begins to play. She launches into a series of Shayna turns.
one after the other, the camera following her each and every rotation as Thomas directs her not to be so controlled, reminding her to seduce them, not just the prince, but the court, the audience, the entire world. He instructs her to foote like a spider spinning a web, and she spots him at the conclusion and beginning of every graceful turn, nerves filling her fearful eyes as the camera finds Thomas again and again as he shouts, Attack it! Attack it! Attack it!
But Nina's concentration is broken when Lily noisily enters the studio through the side door, the clatter and creak of the door causing Nina to lose her balance and stumble to catch it. I already would have been crying while I was spinning. Yeah. To be fair. I don't take direction well like that. He's being very aggressive. And there is a brief moment when Lily enters the studio and she looks just like Nina.
Yeah. And then a moment passes and it's Lily. And so it's like we're already starting these very strange, surreal... sightings that may or may not be well it's definitely not this can't be happening it's not real yeah But Nina stands there embarrassed as Lily removes her headphones and Tomá facetiously remarks that it's good of her to join them.
Lily smirks an apology as she joins the rest of the dancers, and Tomá explains that Lily is fresh off of a plane from San Francisco, and that she'll be taking the spot of a former dancer in the company. He suggests for Lily to warm up, but when she assures him that she's good to go, Thomas appears pleasantly surprised. But Nina interrupts them, her shaky voice asking Tomá if she should go again, only to learn that Tomá has seen enough. I would fall to my knees.
I got to say, it is not Nina's fault what happened. No, she was dancing. I mean, she was clearly distracted. That was loud as fuck for her to barge in there like that. Yeah, you should be allowed to go again. Yeah. You should. But I think that he was being honest. I think he had seen enough. I think that he already knows that we've we've been told several times that she's too constrained. She's too rigid. She needs to relax. She needs to kind of.
loosen her grip on her control. He already saw that. That's why he was yelling at her. Yeah, but I mean... It was before... His mind was made up before Lily came in, I think. I think if he's willing to coach, period. He's like, I can work with this. We all have room for improvement. Yeah. So she had enough. Yeah, I guess. I remember a long, long time ago, I remember seeing this video about singing and this, this. teacher was talking and she was like you know
If you're singing a note and somebody shakes you, you shouldn't be able to hear the shake. And I was like, that's not true. There's no fucking way. I don't know how you're doing it. But control is insane. Yeah, absolutely.
That's how I felt here. I'm like, you're dancing. You're focused. You're doing incredible. Of course, you're going to fucking lose your balance if somebody barges into a room. Yeah. You're trying to concentrate on what you're doing. Yeah. But a theme here is perfection. True. The studio.
should if the studio was on fire she should still be able to hit every you know what i mean yeah that is clearly his level of expectation yeah well lily's gonna come in and save it right lily is an angel But Nina's soul seems to leave her body as Thomas moves on to the next dancer, Veronica, instructing her to dance the White Swan Variation. Nina just collects her things, fighting against tears as she exits the principal's studio, the auditions continuing without her.
We spy Nina's legs from underneath the closed door of a bathroom stall. She stands facing the toilet and after we hear a loud splash, she reaches for the handle with her foot to flush it. She exits the center, catching the subway train and finding herself on the streets of New York City after her commute. But when she solemnly sulks, passing under some scaffolding, her very pink cell phone rings. She flips it open to find at the center of its small screen in all capital letters.
Color ID in movies, it's always fucking hilarious. Nobody's phone looks like this. 2010, anytime. It doesn't matter. It's very funny to me, always. I laugh at when I went to rewatch Dexter. I was like, this is actually insulting to the viewer. It is. Nobody's phone ever looked that way. Nina slams it shut instead of answering, but she turns a corner to stand at the entrance of a long corridor tagged with graffiti.
At the end of the corridor stands a woman dressed all in black, too distant for Nina to make out who she is. But the women slowly make their way toward each other, step by step, the other woman dipping in and out of the shadows of the overhead light. But when she gets close enough to pass Nina, the score grows sharp as laughter echoes around them, and we see that the woman is Nina's exact double. She glances at Nina, a sly smirk resting on her face as her hair flows freely in the wind.
Nina gasps in recognition, but when she turns to face the woman, she's now played by Sarah Lane, and we see that she looks nothing like Nina at all. Nina stands perplexed as the woman keeps walking by, finally snapping out of her puzzlement to continue in the opposite direction as her cell phone continues to ring in her pocket. This was very chilling. And here in my notes is when I'm like, okay, I'm starting to get that perfect blue vibe. Yeah.
You did mention Sarah Lane. She is one of Natalie Portman's dancing doubles. okay for black swan she did well it's disputed she did dance some herself um how much she did is very disputed and that's kind of where a controversy was born surrounding this film Once Natalie Portman won her Oscar for Black Swan, Sarah Lane did not. She was offended by it. She said that it was wrong to, by Natalie Portman winning for this role, it is insinuating that she did all of this herself.
So she said that it was wrong for them to allege that Natalie Portman could have become this proficient in ballet having trained for a year when people train their entire lives. So she alleged that Natalie Portman did 5% of her own dancing. 5%? 5% is what she said. Aronofsky, Mila Kunis, Benjamin Milpie, the choreographer, and I guess her at one time husband. Yeah. And a character in the film too. Oh, yeah. But he, they all disputed that. They said that it wasn't true.
Their estimation was that Natalie Portman did 85%, which is a huge discrepancy. 5% according to Sarah Lane, 85% according to the others. I will say to her credit, the majority of the interviews that Natalie Portman did in support of this film, she discussed all the training that she did to prepare for the role. Okay.
I think it was, depending on which source I saw, it was either six months or a year before production. She started ballet training with Mary Helen Bowers, formerly of the New York Ballet. And she trained for five hours a day with cross training as well. Okay. To prepare for the... movements, of course, but also the stress that it puts on your body to perform ballet. Yeah. I bet that those of Suspiria teachers could have taught her real fast. Real fast.
Mila Kunis as well had said that for her, it was seven days a week for four hours a day. Yeah. Like the training was extremely strenuous. And they even have scenes in the film where their real trainers take part and you see actual training on set of different movements, different motions.
So it's all well documented, but there's also, I mean, I wasn't there. It's that. I think that only the people that were there will... what is true and sides have already, I mean this is fucking 15 years old at this point, but sides have been taken or were taken at the time.
But Aronofsky said that it was kind of his duty to defend his actor and the hard work that she had put into this film. So he said that he had his editor count. And out of 139 dance shots, this is according to Aronofsky. 111 are Natalie Portman and 28 are Sarah Lane. Which works out to about 80% being Natalie Portman. Yeah. But, and again, Sarah Lane was very adamant that it wasn't that. She wanted credit. It was just it was a disservice to the art form to make people think.
But I'm like, how deep does that go, though? Like stunt people work on films. You know what I mean? But I mean, I understand where she's coming from. I do, too. It's the same thing that it's like, you know. I don't want people to think that you can just pick this up in a weekend and do what we do. Of course. And so I can understand her being offended. I do find it very. Sad that that's the way that it went.
between her and the production and everything yeah and that it had to come out to you know this is her saying this then we're saying this then it's like a back and forth yeah because it's they made a very brilliant film together it sucks and that's what it is and i i did watch a um featurette or a portion of it on the vis effects that were done here and there were I did watch them replace Sarah Lane's face with Natalie Portman's face and some.
super key moments in the film. But it's like... I just feel like that line is not defined as to. because somebody else didn't a lot of it they said was Natalie Portman waist up and for the very difficult poses and the ones that had to be held for a long time with their feet it was her dance doubles feet I mean they're She's not a fucking ballerina. Right. So I mean, but I feel like there is nuance in that because I didn't watch this.
and say, wow, I guess Natalie, like, I just, I don't know. Maybe some people do. And she did put in a lot of hard work and she did train. Very strenuously, but it just kind of sucks for everyone. Yeah. It's a bummer. And I mean, there is a lot of dance and a lot of impressive moments through this performance. There's a lot to this performance. So it's, I mean, I feel like that her...
Oscar win, I don't feel that it's tainted in any way. No, I agree. I feel like if I had won that Oscar, though, it would be tainted for me. I would feel upset. Yeah, that's why it just, it bums me out for everyone. feeling like you or your art form or you. That you're not getting the recognition that you deserve or that somebody else is taking credit or kind of making a mockery of what you do. I don't I don't know how Sarah Lane felt, but I think that she.
has her, you know, right to be upset. And I, I, but everybody seemed to come to Natalie Portman's defense. So, yeah, no, I, of course she has a right to be upset. Yeah. I feel like maybe there could have been like interviews with them together. Yeah. Okay. That might have been a really good way to handle it all and discuss like how they worked together. Yeah. It's just such a huge.
five percent like that is a huge discrepancy right and i mean like you're saying i think that would be a good idea t to have them together because Again, I don't think that this is a movie about, hey, look what I did learning ballet in a year. To where this is a person who's been doing it their whole life. Right. So that is what we're...
trying to get through in the movie. Yeah, and she did say that she has nothing but respect for Natalie Portman, that she was very kind, very talented, but that she wanted to make it clear she was not dancing for the vast majority. that sucks man it does i was like oh no But Nina finally arrives home, with Erica waiting eagerly by the door. She asks her daughter how it went, admitting that since Nina was late, she even called Susie in the office of the dance company.
Overstepping. I am like, how do you think it went? I haven't answered any of your calls. And look at my face. How the fuck do you think it went? I was just too busy partying all night. I was out celebrating. No, dude. Nina closes the door behind her, turning her back to her mother as she helps to remove her coat, Erika commenting that she can't believe Tomá just sprang an audition on her out of nowhere. When Nina doesn't answer, Erica excitedly asks her again. So?
But Nina turns to face her mother, her tone unconvincing, as she assures her that the audition was fine. But within a moment, Nina crumbles into tears as she wraps her arms around Erica, the mother comforting her crying daughter, imploring her to tell her all about it.
But sometime later, as Nina sits in front of the triptych mirror in the living room, putting on her ballet slippers, She overhears Erica on the phone with Susie at the dance company, complaining that it's unreasonable of Tama to expect his dancers to perform at the level of a Beth McIntyre without warning. As Nina rises to her feet, Erika notes that Tomá's dancers can do the work, though they don't have Beth's magic feet. She confides in Susie that Nina is miserable.
But we watch as Nina steals herself through exhaustion, practicing her turns one after the other, maintaining her balance as she turns on point, the camera lingering on her slipper with each rotation in slow motion. She follows herself in the mirror, using her reflection to spot each turn, until suddenly a cracking noise is heard, and Nina gasps sharply in pain as she sinks to the floor and unties the ribbon of her slipper.
Erica calls out to her, asking if she's all right, and Nina assures her mother that she's fine. But when she removes her shoe, she discovers that the nail of her big toe is split down the center, blood coating the bed of her injured digits. Damn, that looks painful. Oh, yeah. Yes, it does. But we cut to Erica tending to Nina's wounded toe in her bedroom, both of them seated on her mattress as Nina winces from the disinfectant.
Erica promises that she's almost done as she bandages her daughter's toe, lamenting that Nina is working too hard. She reminds Nina that we all have off days, but Nina places the blame squarely on Lily, insisting that if she hadn't have barged in. But Erica is certain that Lily didn't intend to ruin Nina's audition.
This to me is already kind of an important moment because I feel like Nina is ascribing a lot to Lily that Lily doesn't deserve. Yeah. And even Eric is like, hey, calm down. Yeah. It's like it wasn't calculated. Yeah. But Erica smiles, remembering when Nina first started dancing. She says that if she hadn't have taken Nina to each of her classes, she would have been completely lost.
Objection relevance? It feels like, I don't know, I think that I already have a bad taste in my mouth about this lady and the fact that like... I know that Nina is an adult, but that's your kid. She just had a really rough day. The fact that she's like, oh, yeah, like if and if I wasn't there to help you, like it feels very like.
Well, you wouldn't even be where you are right now if I didn't help you back then. I don't know. I'm just like, this is not what she needs right now. No, there's that. And then there's elements of what she had said earlier, where she was like, do you want me to come with you? Yeah. And it's like, you are just trying to say.
You needed me today. Yeah. I wasn't there. That's true. And this is what happens when I'm not there. Because you're helpless. It is. Little by little. You just hear it. It's like, what? It's like, that didn't feel right. But Nina isn't listening to her mother at all anymore, and instead, she's concocting a plan. Tomorrow, she's going to talk to Tama, and she's going to tell him that she finished it.
Erica glances up at Nina with glassy eyes, asserting that she doesn't need to lie. She's certain that it won't convince Tamah one way or the other. But Nina doesn't answer Erica, and instead, she just collapses to her pillow, turning away from her mother. you know those parents that are like jealous of their kids yeah like it was already this point where i'm like okay so mom used to dance you know what i mean like everything about this just made me very uncomfortable with the two of them
Do you? And the fact that she's like, well, you don't need to. It's like, well, I. And what does Nina think saying that she went home and finished it? There's no proof. Thomas is like, okay. Whatever. Well, then do it right now. I can't do that. But yeah, with Erica saying all of that, I really do. Do you think that maybe Nina not performing well is better for Erica? Kind of. Yeah. Like, I don't I just get this.
impression where she's like yeah as your mom like I'm happy for you but when things don't go well You know, maybe that's not the worst thing in the world for her. Yeah, because it almost like a... reassures what she's saying right first of all you need me and secondly if that were me like i definitely would have nailed it like you didn't but you know what i mean like i don't know i don't like this no i don't know if you can tell no
And I do the nuance again of Barbara Hershey in this performance. She's fantastic. But Erika comforts her, settling her blankets and reaching to remove Nina's earrings. She understands that Nina must be disappointed, acknowledging the very specific pressure that finds you when you get older. Erica admits that she can relate to this, but she promises her daughter that it's all right, no matter what.
She rises from Nina's bed to put her collected jewelry away in a chest on the dresser, offering the bright side to Nina's dismay. She'll probably get to dance the pas de quatre again. Which I think means that she'll be a part of the Swan Corps, which is like the ensemble. Which is exactly where she wants her, I think. Yeah.
She laughs that it's such a wonderful part as she carries the jewelry box over to Nina's bed, winding the back of it and placing it on her nightstand as a gentle song emanates from it, a small ballerina twisting in its center. I will say a combo jewelry box music box is pretty cool. Yeah. Pretty solid. Yeah. Erica's not doing great on a lot of fronts, but buying this was a good idea.
She offers another possibility, though. Maybe Toma will make her a big swan. She reaches a reassuring hand to Nina's shoulder, positive that no matter what happens, Nina will shine. Nina accepts this, and Erica caresses her hair sweetly as she tells her, Everything will be better in the morning. It always is, sweet girl. The music box concludes its soft melody, and we fade to black.
But when we return, we find Nina on the subway train, using her reflection in the window through the tunnel to apply Beth's lipstick that she stole the day before. She does so in sharp strokes, motions that are seemingly somewhat unfamiliar to her. She's like, now I'm darkening. Close. But we cut to Nina, waiting in a corridor at the Lincoln Center, her hair down, her eyes accentuated, and her lips a vibrant red.
Thoma meets her there, and when Nina asks him if he has a moment, he invites her into his office. The second they cross the threshold, Nina grows nervous, noting that if now isn't a good time. But Tomá assures her that now is perfect. He closes the door behind them, and after tossing a folder onto his desk, he takes a seat at its edge. Her voice struggling to find its strength, Nina shares that she practiced the coda last night, and she finished.
Toman nods, offering a small smile, but he leans his head forward as if to ask, and? See, that's what I was expecting. I thought that might be what. Nina just continues that she thought he should know. But Thomas levels with her, admitting that he doesn't care about her technique and insisting that she should know this by now.
Nina then attempts to redirect the conversation to what happened yesterday, but Thomas interrupts her, rising from his desk and caressing her cheek as he reveals that he's already chosen Veronica for the lead. He apologizes, reaching for the office door to open it, and Nina accepts this, murmuring a defeated, okay, thank you, as she heads toward the hallway, only for Tomá to close the door before she can make her exit.
Nina stands there, puzzled, as Tomá asks, That's it? You're not going to try to change my mind? He assumes that Nina must have thought it was possible. Otherwise, he asks, what is she doing here all dolled up? A low rumble emanates in the score as Nina stresses that she only came to ask for the part. Tension rises between them until Tomás shatters it with a scoff, retreating back into the room and taking a seat at its center.
Casual in his chair, Thomas admits that the truth is, when he looks at Nina, all he sees is the white swan. He notes that Nina is beautiful, fearful and fragile. Ideal casting. But the black swan? He says it's a hard fucking job to dance both. Nina insists that she can dance the black swan, and Tomá responds incredulously. He assesses that in the four years that he's watched her dance, he's observed her obsession, getting each move perfectly correct, but he has never once seen her lose herself.
He asks the point of all this discipline. Nina just lowers her eyes to the floor, admitting in a low voice that she just wants to be perfect. Blue. She didn't say that. No, that would have been too funny. Yeah, it's like, come on, man. He's like, perfect blue. I don't know where it is. I've never heard of that in my life. Thoma implores her to repeat this, and she meets his gaze, more confidence in her voice as she declares, I want to be perfect.
Thomas laughs wryly, asserting that perfection isn't only about control, it's also about letting go. He stands from his seat to approach Nina again as he continues that you have to surprise yourself so that you can surprise the audience. It's transcendent. He says that very few have it in them. Nina states shyly that she thinks that she does have it in her. But before she can even finish her thought fully, Thomas lifts her chin, forcing a kiss onto her lips, which deepens.
their mouths opening and their tongues slithering, until Tomah jumps back sharply in pain, his mind realizing what just happened. Nina bit him. Embarrassed breaths escape Nina, but Tomá chuckles in disbelief, pleasantly surprised that she bit him. He remarks that it fucking hurt. And Nina offers a small apology before wrenching the office door open and exiting into the hall. I hate this guy. Yeah. The minute that he was like.
You're not even going to try to convince me. Yeah. My red flags, they were waving everywhere. Like I was seeing the red flags. This dude seems so predatory and it's like, you're the one we watched. You're the one that gets to pick. So like, I don't know. I just hate him. Like from this moment forward, he's gross. It's predatory as fuck. He's not great. And I don't know. I understand if we train hard enough, we can, you know.
get better in what we're doing we don't need you to be creepy and call me into the office and whatever no she should have kicked him in the dick or something yeah she should have but that's black swan behavior yeah there you go she's like oh you want to show you a black swan motherfucker High kick, high kick. But I think that's exactly it and what makes it like extra gross.
is because he does think in his own mind that he's bringing this out of her. Yeah. That he's being a good director, but he's just being a piece of shit. Yeah. If you're their teacher or you're there to like help them, like you're saying transcend, whatever. to being a better dancer or whatever. Not like this, dude. Don't do this bullshit.
Just encourage everybody while they're dancing. Help them point out whatever you were doing in front of everybody else. That's it. Just be a teacher. Because this is power dynamics. This is taking advantage. All of the things. This is predatory. He's terrible. I hope he gets charged. Please.
But sometime later, Nina sits in the hall, isolated from the other dancers who are preparing for their practice. As she ties her hair back, Nina can't help but stare at Veronica, who sits stretching with Galena and another uncredited ballerina. But after a moment, Veronica catches Nina looking at her, and she tries to brush it off, but when she looks over at Nina again and she's still staring, Veronica whispers a confused, What?
Nina awkwardly looks away, and a puzzled Veronica asks Galena why Nina is staring at her, with Galena suggesting that Nina is obsessed with her. But Madeline appears down the hall, passing the group of dancers and excitedly sharing that it's been posted. She passes Nina a little further down the corridor, announcing that the cast list is out.
As they all reach their feet and head toward the cast list, Nina stops Veronica as she passes by. She offers a very polite congratulations, causing Veronica's eyes to light up as she picks up her pace to see her name at the top of the sheet. Nina waits behind, wounded, with no reason to join the other ballerinas. She just gathers her things somberly, heading in the other direction. But suddenly, Veronica appears a blur of anger behind her down the hall.
She calls out, Hey! Nina turns around to face her, puzzled, as Veronica demands to know why she would say that, wondering if it's Nina's idea of a sick joke. Nina doesn't understand, but Veronica sees. Fuck you. Before storming past Nina down the hallway. Her interest peaked. Nina joins the crowd of dancers gathered around the cast list on the bulletin board at the other end of the corridor.
Once she reaches it, someone calls her name jovially, and Madeline reaches for her to give her a hug and offer her congratulations. Nina's eyes then find the cast list, and there, printed boldly in all capital letters at the top, read, Swan Queen, Nina Sayers. So my first thought was, you know that Nina did not see this yet before she congratulated you. Oh, yeah. Veronica. Yeah. But then I'm like, oh, what if she thinks like Toma already told her? Oh. And she's like.
I mean, teasing her fucking with her. And I mean, but. It's like you're already staring at me like I get. But yeah, I'd be pretty upset. I'd be pretty hot. But she didn't seem like she knew. No, it did seem very sincere and sad. But it's like, what? What fucking games are you playing, Nina? But this entire time, Veronica's been like, so I'm the Swan Queen. Yeah. Obviously. From the moment we met her. True.
But triumphant strings swell in the score, accompanied by the flutter of wings, as the dance company takes turns embracing a clearly confused Nina congratulating her. Lily stands idly by across the hall, nodding her approval to Nina, seemingly impressed. The king of Siam? Why that's the lead? but I mean I guess whatever biting him I guess I don't know But in my mind, I'm like, it's Toma like, oh, this is an opportunity to.
influence her or like do things in the context of oh I'm trying to get you in touch with your inner black swan or whatever like it was surprising to me that he did pick her because he does not seem to enjoy all of her like the black swan aspect of her performance Yeah, I just thought it was maybe it was more of a like. Oh, you do have a little fight. Right. Even though he went about that the wrong way. Right. Yeah. But I mean, it's still...
And I think that is, I think you're right, because it was. He's like, look, if we're just casting the white swan. It's you. You're literally perfect. Yeah. And he's like, but I've never seen anything from you that could even hint to you even being capable of doing it.
And that has nothing to do with dancing. I was going to say, was she like spinning when she did that? I don't know. But then that is really fucked up that he said that earlier. He's like, this has nothing to do with like dancing or proficiency or anything. It's like, so what is this company? Yeah, I think that that's what confused. I mean, I guess that aspect of the performance should just be freer. But it's like. Him as a director, it does kind of confound me because...
He seems very, it has to be this way. It had like, he seems like a hard ass. And so to be like, cause he seems to really enjoy Lily. Yeah. And even the dark. Swan aspect of, I was just like, what game are you playing? I just don't trust him. He's clearly playing a game. Yeah. But you wonder, is this to say that nobody's white swan was as good as Nina's but Nina has the potential to be a black swan better than theirs right yeah I mean I guess that makes sense I just I don't I don't like him no no
But Nina heads straight for the restroom, locking herself in a stall and retrieving her cell phone from her purse. She immediately dials her mother, trying her best not to cry as Erica answers on the other end. Surprised to receive a phone call from her daughter in the middle of the day, Erica immediately asks if something is wrong, but Nina assures her that she's fine, and she finally finds the word. He picked me, Mommy. I'm gonna be the Swan Queen.
Her smile beams as Erica cheers through the speaker of her phone, overcome with emotion, and she tells her mother that she'll be home soon, but she just wanted to let her know. Full of pride, Erica tearfully tells Nina that she loves her, and Nina returns Erica's affections, ending the call and leaning her head against the stall wall as joyful tears break free from her eyes.
The music prances playfully in the score, a celebratory song, as Nina opens the door to the bathroom stall. But the strings cease as Nina's face sours. She reaches frantically for a paper towel as the music grows frenzied and the camera pans to the bathroom mirror, where written large in lipstick is the word whore. Nina scrambles to erase it.
I know it's not funny, but that's pretty funny. What? It's the exact opposite of what you said. Well, the situation. The two seconds. I thought that was pretty funny. You come out and it's just like, I did nothing. no she didn't i wonder if that was really there i want to talk about that ah okay because what you're thinking at least what i was the first time i ever saw this right right in my mind i'm like okay well a lot of people really want this role number one right number two
Yeah. And we saw her storm off away from the group. I don't know exactly where the bathroom is as far as the geography of this building. I don't have the blueprint. No, I don't have the schematics. Well, sometimes it looks like an auditorium or like... tunnels and a coliseum or something yeah like the performance space yeah yeah yeah one thing i will say to me though the more that i think about it the more that i watched it i do agree with you 100 yeah i think though i think that it is there
OK, because I think that this might be the first moment of us really realizing how unreliable of a narrator that Nina is, because this is the only item that we saw her steal from Beth. That. OK, yeah, because I was like. She wore that lipstick going in to meet with him. And then whatever happened happened. And then he picked her. So it being written in lipstick, which looks.
like the same shade to me right it did but yeah so you think that maybe she wrote that i think she did i will say just and this is not to be indicative of anything or to prove anything at all in a behind the scenes featurette Natalie Portman wrote it on the mirror. Oh, so it is her handwriting. It's her handwriting. Oh, okay, okay. Interesting. So that can lead, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But Nina arrives home to her apartment building, taking a moment for herself to breathe before she unlocks the front door and lets herself inside. She calls out to her mother, and when she receives no reply, she makes her way through the hall, the walls on either side lined with framed photographs and mirrors, until she reaches her mother's bedroom.
She switches on the light, and on the far wall, we see a chair parked in front of an artist's easel, the wall lined with several photographs and half-finished portraits of Nina. Her eyes trace each of them, becoming a bit uneasy at the sight of Erica's artwork. A small laugh echoes eerily through the room, and the eyes of the figure on the portrait seems to dart its eyes at Nina. But when she turns back, everything is as it should be.
I loved that so much. Yeah, I had to rewind it because I was like, did I see that or am I just... chilling and it's so it's very easy to miss because there's so many of those paintings i i didn't catch it for years yeah yeah it's it's very very creepy And like, I don't know if I walked into anywhere, whether it's my mom, any, anybody, my husband, and it's just a wall of me, a paintings that like that is fucking scary to me. I don't know why. It's just, I would, it would scare me. No, yeah.
Part of me would feel honored. Yeah, I was going to say, I'd appreciate it a little bit. I'd also be frightened. Well, like Marge and Ringo Starr, there was a lot. That was fine. He seemed to like it. She's a teenager. It's fine. It's different. But an unearthly sigh cuts through the air as Nina shuts off the light. Her reflection, which is cast in a mirror in the hall, moves almost imperceptibly out of sync with her living counterpart.
That's another one that I was like, pointing like DiCaprio. Well, it makes things feel like... Am I seeing that right? Yeah. I think that that's what makes it so good is it's that subtle that you're like, wait. No, that happened. It just feels wrong. Yeah. But Nina retreats to the bathroom for a shower, and afterward, she stands in her towel, admiring herself in the mirror. Pensive piano sounds in the score, but a low hiss resonates as Nina rediscovers the abrasion on her shoulder blade.
She begins to inspect it, but she's interrupted by Erica's arrival home. When she calls out for Nina, she doesn't answer, and instead props the laundry hamper in front of the bathroom door to block it. That was another thing that made me uncomfortable too. Yes. But she returns to her reflection in the mirror, her fingers smearing the fresh blood that drips from the small wound at her back. She rushes to wash it away with water from the faucet as Erica continues calling out for her.
But now in her robe, Nina exits the bathroom, crossing through the corridor to find Erica in the kitchen. She smiles brightly at Nina, announcing, My daughter, the Swan Queen! And she unveils a large sheet cake resting on the countertop behind her, ornately decorated with pink frosting, blooming roses, and a ballerina at its center. Nina hugs her mother tightly, Erica sharing that the cake is their favorite flavor, vanilla with strawberry filling.
She snags a long knife to cut a corner piece for her daughter, but noticing the slab that she's slicing, Nina asks her mother not to give her a piece that's too big. Erika just continues cutting, insisting that it's a celebration and that it's just this one. Nina counters that her stomach is still in knots. And Erica does not take this well. Her smile fades as the score pulses tensely, and she seizes the entire cake, marching over to the garbage can as she declares, Fine! Then it's garbage!
But before she can dump it, Nina relents, assuring her mom that it's fine. Erica's smile returns as she chuckles, setting the cake back down on the counter and explaining that she's just so proud of Nina. That's a problem. Yeah. It's fucked. For somebody who has a lot of problems, she's a problem. That's a problem. Very much. I was just like, I was so uncomfortable. Yeah.
Because there's so many layers to it, I think. It's never, I don't think, explicitly stated, but I think we can infer that Nina does have some struggles with food from things that we eat. I think have seen and are going to see. So there's one. Two, I think that the training that she is going to have to be doing, I don't think that a big slab of cake. is probably something that is inviting to Nina right now.
The cake looked good as hell. Let me just say that right now and get that out of the way. It was good. It was store-bought. It was store-bought. It was still good. But it looked good as hell for a store-bought cake. It was well put together. But it's like, I feel like it almost feels like. like sabotage fair okay that's what it feels like to me because she's about to go into hyper drive to prepare for this role not like she already hasn't been you know what i mean so i think that
You had her on. What did she eat? A fucking egg and a half a grapefruit. Yeah. It's like to do that and then bring this. And that was a big ass piece that she was cutting. It was. It just felt like, oh, she got it. Like, what can I do to slow her down? I don't know. That is what I get from this woman. And I was just disgusted because Erica clearly emotionally abusive. Yes. And so this.
switch that just went off the second that she didn't get exactly what she wanted and Nina automatically reverting and regressing and doing everything to just please her in this moment well because that's clearly the dynamic yes okay you don't want what i'm giving you right the second it's all fucking trash and it's like wait wait yeah no no i definitely want it and that's horrible it's it's
sick it's fucked up and I think that this film does a really good job of like planting that seed early because I was uneasy with her and she has her bun like the exact same way that Nina had it earlier something else that I did I watched this interview with Darren Aronofsky and he had talked about
Barbara Hershey changing her eyebrows for this role to match Natalie Portman. Why did that give you chills? That's good. Yeah. That's good. It is because it's like you are so jealous of her. Yeah. It wasn't as overt.
at the beginning but you could feel those vibes like something is fucking weird here well it's as it goes on like i said we see these little things and it's like doesn't feel right no and there's just so much like a matter of control under the guise of protection yeah and it's just it's hard it's difficult But Nina's discomfort is palpable as she tries to soothe her mother's mood, insisting that the cake looks so yummy.
This apparently was another bad idea because Erica drags her finger through the frosting of the cake, gleaming a grin as she holds it up to Nina for her to taste. What the fuck? After a moment of sheer reluctance, Nina leans forward to try the frosting straight from Erica's index finger, and she offers an approving mmmm, and this causes Erica to erupt in joyous laughter.
Nina takes the chair at the counter across from her mother, echoing her laughter for a mere second before settling into her seat, clearly unnerved. But the next morning, Nina rehearses in the principal's studio, under the watchful eye of Thomas and a pair of ballet mistresses who sit next to him at the far end of the room. As the pianist plays a somber melody, Nina traipses across the floor in her pancake tutu, emoting solemnity as she glides her hands gracefully across her face.
David, played by Benjamin Milpied, acts as the prince to Nina's Swan Queen, surveying and admiring her before joining her in the carefully choreographed routine. And we did mention earlier that Benjamin Milpied was a choreographer for this film.
He was actually one of the principal dancers at the New York Ballet at the time. Oh, okay. And he helped a lot as far as not just the choreography, but we'll talk about the cinematographer a little bit later. And they worked together to block a lot of the scenes too. That's cool because I feel like the camera is such a light.
important part of these dances oh yeah brilliant work yeah i will say that this is also where natalie portman met benjamin milpie and i think that they were together for about 14 years and i think last year they Sadly. Divorced. Right. And that was some Lemon Square situation. So I've heard. Yeah. I'm going to call an audible and just talk about the cinematography now. Okay. The cinematographer was a guy called Matty Liberty.
And he actually met Darren Aronofsky when they were both students at the American Film Institute in 1990. Okay. Wow. He actually shot a few of Aronofsky's early short films for him, and he shot Pie, Requiem for a Dream, and The Fountain. Oh. But I end for JP. He did shoot Iron Man 2 as well. All right. I'm in. I'm online.
But he spoke in a featurette about how he spends so much time trying to figure out the balance of... light and dark whenever he's shooting a film but for black swan instead they were trying to make everything look as naturalistic as possible Part of that was to suit the tone of the film. And another part of that was to follow with what the cinematographer did for The Wrestler, because Aronofsky was so keen on making it a companion piece.
to that film right but as you can see in this film it's shot in such a documentary style and they were trying to balance this cinema verite style of shooting. with all of the horror elements and surrealism. And I feel like it really creates a really interesting balance of everything. Yeah. Because even in these moments of surrealism that feel so out of reality, it feels like it's shot.
Realistically. Yeah. But I think that that's what makes it so scary. Yes. Because if it feels like we've like kind of transgressed into something completely different. like a safety in that true this is like no this is we're here yeah this is real life buckle up exactly i did read very interestingly in the american society of cinematographers that he
incorporated quite a few Texas switches when it came to Natalie Portman's dance double and Natalie Portman. And so there are some scenes where it'll start with... Sarah Lane dancing with Benjamin Milpied, and in the same shot, you won't even realize it, but she's switched out for Natalie Portman. Okay, I could never tell. No. No. But in this documentary style of shooting, I learned in the British cinematographer magazine that they shot using super 16 millimeter.
and incorporated a lot of handheld camera work. And so very rarely did they use a tripod. And I think that there's only one shot later that they used a dolly. And I'll talk about that shot later because it's beautiful and very fantastic. But you do notice when you watch that shot, it does feel so out of place compared to all the things we've seen before. Okay.
But as we were saying earlier during the intro, the cinematography is one of the secret weapons of this film. Yeah. And Maddie LeBateek was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematographer. Good. That is something. And like you said, we did mention earlier, but.
that helped a lot of you know what i mean just watching it because it is it is really really fucking you're just in everything you're right there it's immersive yeah But David's arms flow over and around Nina, unable to capture her affections, the pair missing each other again and again as they return and retreat until finally...
Their grasping hands meet each other, and David pulls Nina closely to him. But just as soon as he does, Tomá puts a stop to the practice, thanking them both and thanking Nina once again in particular. She walks over to Thomas, who commends her performance, but adds that he knew the white swan wouldn't be a problem. He reminds Nina that the real work will be her metamorphosis into her evil twin. Very interesting line.
Nina nods in understanding as Tomah notes that he knows he saw a flash of her yesterday, and as he exits, he directs Nina. So get ready to give me more of that bite. You motherfucker. I was seething. He's like, don't do that. No. Nina collects herself, marching over to David to continue their practice.
But sometime later, Nina works one-on-one with a ballet mistress played by Christine Redpath, who guides her movements, instructing her not only in technique, her plie and on point, but her emotions and the fluttering of her wings as the evil force pulls her in, allowing her to embody the black swan. This clearly feels like a real rehearsal. I have in my notes, why do I feel like this woman is a real dance instructor? It felt very...
Realistic. Yeah. And I think that she might be. I feel like all of the ballet mistresses in the film that are credited are real ballerinas and dance instructors. Okay. That's really cool. Isn't this the dance she was doing at the beginning in her dream? Yes. Okay.
But after her practice, Nina gets a drink of water from a fountain in the hall, filling her bottle. But the notes of a piano emanate from a nearby studio, capturing her attention, and she makes her way inside to watch the dancers practice. She stands at the railing behind the rows of seating, where Tomás stood days earlier to peer down at her. But now, Nina's bird's eye view is set solely on Lily.
Nina watches her move across the floor, free and graceful, seeming jealousy resting on her face as Lily loses herself in her dance. Tomás slinks into the room from the hallway, just behind Nina, and he leans over her shoulder, imploring her to really watch Lily. He notes that she's imprecise, but effortless. He sucks his teeth before offering a parting shot.
she's not faking it. Yeah. Yeah. Part of me is like, then why don't you just choose her? That's what I'm saying. I think that's what I was saying earlier. Cause it's like, He's like, that's what I want right there. And it's like, okay, well, it's right there. You can cast her right now. But Lily twirls as the practice comes to an end, and she tumbles into the arms of a dancer played by Kurt Froman, the pair laughing at Lily's clumsiness before they start again from the top.
And I will say, I did see on this featurette, Kurt Froman was interviewed just about ballet in general. And he was talking about how... He has given his life to it. And he was like, and I don't know what I'm going to fill this void with when my body doesn't allow me to do this anymore. yeah it was just a very sad thing to hear and you realize that a lot of dancers athletes everything where it's like this was your whole life that's why so many people in these fields hold on yeah
Well, I think that there are certain things, what they put their bodies through. I don't think that you can achieve that level of greatness without. kind of obsessing yeah about it and it's you know it's something that you do cling on to until you physically can't anymore and that's like that's really sad Well, the passion for it. It drives you to keep doing it and then...
Like you're saying you train and train and this is my focus. Yeah. I mean, sad that your body won't let you anymore. Not sad that you're clinging to it. No, no, no. But yeah, it's, I think the intensity. It can't just be something that you dabble in or like, yeah, no, I can take or leave it. it's it's insane like the dedication is next level it requires so much yeah and it's it's kind of I mean that's basically what the wrestler was about yeah Aronofsky
Well, we get that wrestling's predetermined or whatever. You know, the matches, we understand. The results. I get it. Yes, I get it. But they are athletes. They do put their bodies on the line, slamming themselves on. Yes. Jumping on tables, jumping off of things, hitting things. You still have to take that shot from a chair. Yeah. It's still going to sting. quite a bit I love how you always begrudgingly like yeah I know it's not real because there's a lot of it that is legitimate yeah
And it does get discounted in the same way that when you look at ballet, all you see is this beautiful art form. You don't see the pain that it takes to become this. Yeah. The hours of training and practice and practice. But Nina is shown to her dressing room by Susie, played by Deborah Offner, who reveals that Nina will be rooming with Beth from now on. And this is the Susie we've heard so much about. Yeah. That has like a bat phone connection to Erica.
But Susie instructs Nina to be considerate, and Nina thanks her for the honor of sharing the principal dressing room. A large bouquet of flowers rests on the vanity, and we capture Nina's reflection in a silver-plated mirror on the wall as Susie shares that the bouquet is for Nina, courtesy of Thomas Leroy. Nina smiles that they're beautiful, and as Susie exits the room, closing the door behind her, Nina leans down to inhale their intoxicating aroma.
And after glancing over at a bottle of bright pink nail polish, Nina removes her earrings, letting out a satisfied sigh as she looks at her reflection in the mirror. But that evening, at a black tie gala, guests chatter incessantly as a string ensemble provides a striking atmosphere for the evening.
Nina, in a pristine white gown, follows behind Thomas as they carve their way through the gathered crowd over to an ornate marble staircase, where Thomas procures a glass of champagne for each of them. As the pair stands halfway up the large set of stairs, overlooking the populated floor below, Tomá hands Nina her glass, asking, Are you ready to be thrown to the wolves? He reminds Nina that these are donors and that they need their cash, imploring her to remember to smile.
Nina accepts her assignment immediately, flashing a nervous grin as they stand at the railing, Thomas addressing the crowd and requesting their attention. The chatter ceases and Thomas bids them all good evening, peering down at their smiling faces as he prepares to make an important announcement. He declares that they all have had the chance to be enchanted, transported, and even sometimes devastated by the performances of the truest artist of their company.
And there, in the crowd, clutching her glass of wine, we find Beth forcing a small smile before lowering her eyes to the floor. Toman notes that she's been a crucial inspiration to his work, a role model to all dancers, but even more than that, a deeply appreciated presence on their stage. Nina stands beside Toma, but becomes distracted when she glances down at her fingers at the stem of her wine glass, the side of the nail on her middle finger appearing a blemished and painful red.
She hides it, returning her attention to Tamah, who proclaims that the crowd knows who he's talking about, and he announces, Ladies and gentlemen, Beth McIntyre. He leads the room in a round of applause for Beth, who thanks them quietly, struggling against tears as David reaches an arm around her and kisses her on the cheek. Nina beams brightly as Thomas continues that everyone knows every great career has to come to an end, and he reveals that Beth is retiring at the end of the season.
Murmurs and somber groans abound in the crowd, but Thomas shares that Beth will be giving her farewell performance as Mère Pomenie, the role that she originated in Thomas' first ballet. He locks eyes with Beth from the stairs as he proclaims, My little princess, we honor you. You will be greatly missed.
This is enough for Beth, a look of ire filling her eyes as she crosses through the crowd to abruptly exit the room. But this doesn't deter Thomas, who continues that as they bid adieu to one star, they will welcome another. He proudly declares that the New York Ballet will be opening their season with his new version of Swan Lake, and taking the role of their new Swan Queen is the exquisite Nina Sayers.
Nina smiles as the crowd applauds, but the sharp sound of laughter cuts through the clapping, and through the sea of faces, Nina finds Lily, who stands next to Veronica in a lacy black dress. apologizing to those around her for the interruption. Of course it's her. Of course. And then again, I'm like, was it? Yeah. Thomas assures the attendees that they will soon have the pleasure of seeing Nina perform. But right now, he leads the room in a toast to everyone, to Beth.
to Nina, and to beauty. He clinks his glass with Nina's, offering a wink before taking a sip of his champagne. So we can talk about this scene in just a second. But I did want to make mention of a face that I see in like the dead center of the crowd. It is a character called Mr. Fithian played by Mark Margolis.
Salamanca. Yeah. We, John Paul and I were talking about it cause we saw him in the, in the, on IMDB. Yeah. And we were like, where the fuck was he? Yeah. I, I searched and doing my research on the casting and stuff. And I was like, where I was like, Surely he'd have a line or something. Nope.
I don't know why his scene, the only one that he has a speaking part in, was seemingly cut from the film. And if I'm not mistaken, he just did the part as a favor to Aronofsky. I can't remember if they had worked together in the past, but it was like... nothing for him to do it. But... There is a section of this scene that does not end here because we abruptly cut to something else in just a second. But.
Nina and Toma walking down the stairs and they're introduced. He introduces her to the Fithians who apparently are like really high rolling donors for the ballet. And.
Mr. Fithian is a little like uncomfortably... getting close to nina like he kisses her hand but he lingers a little too long and nina like pulls it back but she doesn't want to pull it back too much because of what Thomas said so it's like a really like uncomfortable moment but Thomas of course doesn't sense it at all because it's just like I'm just showing you off and yeah you know but it's it's a good moment as far as Nina's character
And getting to see Mark Mogollis in Black Swan? Yeah. He's also in one scene in one episode of Sex and the City. Oh, right. Just so everyone knows that. But yeah, this was a lot. I feel like... It's clear. I know we saw Beth. very upset earlier it's clear now she does not want this no yeah that's kind of what too i got out of it and i was like she Like you're saying she looks mad. So what he's saying about retirement is like, I don't know if,
are you making her retire? Yeah, obviously. Because it doesn't seem like, or she doesn't look like she wanted to. No. And the other thing is that it was very, very clear that the posters we saw outside of the Lincoln Center Beth was dressed as the Swan Queen. Yeah. And it said we're opening the season. We already know we're opening the season with with.
Swan Lake. Yeah. So you just took the part away from her, recast it, and you're like, guess what? You're retiring now. Yeah. It sucks. And I looked it up. Winona Ryder was like 39 or 40. And the fact that they're like, you get out of your fucking old ass, fucking dusty old bones. I was like, I'm sorry. What? It's unbelievable. And I think that it's. such fucking insult to injury like salt and vinegar style of doing this in the same breath yeah goodbye Beth hello Nina we don't like it's so
Fucking insulting. It's like cruel almost. to make her stand down there in the audience. She doesn't even get to be up there. That part was the most fucked up to me because all that she has given you and your dance company, she can't be at your side with Nina. And even when they were talking shit about her, like it's... it's clear that she's talented and she's legendary. But she has to stand down there in the audience and look up at her replacement.
while she's being pushed to the side when she didn't even choose. No. This whole thing, I was like pissed off. Yeah. Wouldn't that look a little better to everybody if she's...
passing the baton rather than just being like, you, you're out, and this is it. Yeah, he was probably like, she is not going to go up there and do this with a smile. And she shouldn't. Yeah, no. She shouldn't. I think the thing as well is that Tomah just... desperately needs to center himself because he's saying basically he chooses the talent. Yeah. Yeah. It's out with Beth in with Nina. And I made that decision. Yeah. This was so fucked.
I mean, I feel like this film escalates a lot. Like we see some really crazy shit later and it gets really, really intense. And I think that it's easy to gloss over this scene, but it holds a lot of weight for a lot. I just I really I feel like we don't see Beth a lot in this, but her presence is very heavy and felt. Yeah. And this scene was just. like it was fucked up well it is because it's also like you're saying that makes me think
It does because what's happening here, Nina is experiencing that. Yeah. So also with being, getting this. news of i'm getting this part right i'm having to deal with my mom i'm coming over here i was stressed about getting this part before all of that now you're doing this in front of everybody yeah and it's
It's like a doubled edged sword of like, yeah, double edged sword of this is what I wanted. But that is going to be me. Yeah. I think that's the thing is that you realize in that moment. Oh, I am. Interchangeable. So replaceable. Yeah. But afterward, Nina retreats to the restroom to give a closer inspection to her wounded finger, which is now caked with blood at the nail's edge.
As she washes her hands in the sink, someone knocks loudly at the door and Nina calls out just a second before returning to her finger, pinching the offending flesh and peeling it all the way back to her knuckle. She winces in a sharp pain, rushing her hands back under the water streaming from the faucet, only to discover that her finger is completely fine with no sign of injury.
This was very hard to watch. I watched on that effects portion of that featurette. They literally had a prosthetic hand. Somebody was holding it up next to the sink, and she was acting as though it were hers. all that pulling with digital effects. Oh, wow. And it just, it looks. Oh, yeah, that hurt me. I was like, Nina, stop! And that's so wild to say, hey, just a second, I gotta... Yeah, no, no, no. That's crazy. That's gonna take more than a second. Be right with you!
But Nina stares at her finger confused, but she regains her composure, drying off her hands. The knocking continues at the door as a woman cries out, hurry up, I'm about to burst. Is that a handkill? Exactly what I was thinking. I'm about to bust. But Nina disposes of the towel and opens the door to find Lily standing there. Naturally. She lights up at the sight of Nina, closing the door behind her and realizing that they haven't officially met yet.
She holds out her left hand for Nina to shake it, and the two women introduce themselves. We see this handshake reflected in the mirror, but it's still Lily's left hand. Yes, it is. I noticed that too. And I was like, huh, you know? Yes. Our new Swan Queen, which inspires a smile from Nina, but Lily hands over her clutch to Nina to hold for a moment. She's certain that Nina must be so excited, but she asks if she's freaking out about the role, and Nina admits that she is.
But we watch as Lily reaches at her waist under the skirt of her dress and slides her underwear down, stepping out of them and placing them into her purse. She shares that she'd be losing her mind too, passing Nina to take a seat at the edge of the sink. Nina attempts to return to the event, but Lily implores her to stay to keep her company.
Nina does mull it over for a moment, but she politely excuses herself from the restroom, reentering the crowded hall and bumping right into Toma, who's been looking for her. I think this visual of the two of them in the bathroom with Nina and like. I think it's like a soft pink or a cream or something. And then Lily dressed in black like she usually is. Her taking off her underwear, putting it in her. But like, it's just this.
After explicitly being told by Toma that this is what she needs to aspire to be, it's very white swan, black swan. very um this like repressed person looking at this very free very you know sexually liberated it's I feel like we've been seeing that the whole movie, but just them in this bathroom together. It's a very like blatant visual. the difference between the two of them and how Nina is probably like, well, that's what I need to be doing.
But hours later, the event drawing to a close and the guests departing, Tomas finds Nina again in the massive entryway. He commends her, noting, they tried to eat you alive, but here you are. As he helps her into her coat, he tells her that she did well, and Nina is pleased to hear this, but Tomah then asks her where she's headed after this. Ugh. Nina answers that she's going to the Upper West Side, and Tomás suggests that since it's on the way, she should stop at his place for a drink.
that's very out of the way no matter where it is it's really yeah it's super super out of my way it's out of line i know that But before Nina can answer, Mrs. Fithian, played by Tina Sloan, leans into the corridor, calling out for Thomas and telling him that he needs to say hello to someone called Karen Holloway. So Mrs. Svithian. Right. We get to see her for a brief moment.
But Tomah retreats, promising Nina that after just a minute more of ass-kissing, he'll be right back, and he asks Nina to wait for him. Now alone in the expansive hall, Nina spots a sculpture at the center of the room, approaching and admiring it. A bronze figure stands balanced upon a globe with withered wings for arms and its face obscured in a white visage not matching the tone of its body. So this is a real sculpture called Future Clone by Fritz Scholder.
And it was in the building where this scene was filmed. Oh, okay. I thought that was very interesting because it seems so thematically relevant. Yes. That it would... seem that they put this in there as part of the production. Yeah, it reminded me of the Springfield Angel. Alright. But lost in her admiration, Nina turns around, the camera whip panning to reveal Beth standing next to her, her makeup streaked from tears and a half-empty glass of wine clutched in her hand.
Nina is briefly startled, but offers sweetly that she's so sorry to hear that Beth is leaving the company. Beth doubts Nina's sincerity, and after letting out a sarcastic awe, she asks Nina pointedly what she did to get this role. Nina furrows her brow, puzzled, as Beth continues that Thomas always said that Nina was such a frigid little girl.
Her voice breaking, Beth wonders what Nina did to change his mind. Wounded, she asks Nina point blank. I'm sorry to my friends in the decorum forum. Did you suck his cock? Offended, Nina instinctively bites back. Not all of us have to. That was wrong. That's black swan behavior. I was very surprised. Yeah, but she didn't. She really didn't do anything. She did not do anything. I was just very, very surprised. I was too and it it
Beth's anger is so fucking justified. Yeah. So understandable. I just really, I want her to do this to Toma. Yes. Nina is clearly, I mean, she, look at her. I mean, unless she thinks this is all some kind of an act, like she seems so innocent and just. I'm the swan, but like, it's just, it's... fucking sad it doesn't need to be directed at Nina but the vitriol and the anger
I fucking get it. It's valid, of course. Absolutely. But yeah, the target, you know, and looking at it, I just feel like she's had her entire life ripped away from her. Yes. Put that on the asshole that did it. You're right. You're right. But at this, Beth scoffs in surprise, and so did I. But she curses Nina loudly, and this is overheard by a returning Tomah, who asks, what's going on here?
Nina steps away as a drunken Beth confronts Tomah, demanding to talk to him. He attempts to calm her, stating simply that she is drunk and she needs to go home. Beth grows indignant, ordering Tomá not to dismiss her like that. But he raises his palm to cup her cheek, beseeching. My little princess, please hold it together. Fuck off. Every time he calls her that, my skin crawls. No, it's too much. It's weird.
He returns to Nina's side, urging her onward with him as Beth warns Tamah that she'll be coming by later. something for him. I thought she was going to kill him. A token of her appreciation. I'm like, he's getting shot tonight. That's right. That's what I thought immediately. The next morning, like, well, tamaste. I swear. The way she said it. But Dama pays this no mind as Beth cries. You make the most of it, Nina.
Again, I thought this was so cruel as well that he's like, you're drunk. Go home. Let's go. Yeah. And that's it. Yeah. But we cut to Nina arriving with Tomá to his lavish apartment, music playing softly in the background as they retire to his couch together for drinks. Thomas insists that Nina shouldn't worry about Beth, and he assures her that this behavior is typical. I guess they didn't talk on the way. He's like, wait till we get to it. We shouldn't talk about this here.
But he promptly changes the subject to their collaboration, suggesting that he thought it would be good to talk about the role to ground them a little. Nina agrees, and Tomá adds that he doesn't want there to be any boundaries between them. Yeah, I bet. Yeah. Nina concurs, which inspires Tomá's first question. Do you have a boyfriend? Nina shares that she doesn't and when asked if she's had many in the past, Nina admits that she's had a few but no one's serious.
An awkward silence settles in for a moment before Thomas breaks it, asking, You're not a virgin, are you? Nina lowers her gaze, revealing that she isn't, and Tomas insists that there's nothing to be embarrassed about then. He takes a sip of his drink and Nina follows his lead as he continues his line of inquiry, wondering if Nina enjoys making love. This question surprises Nina, but Tomá persists. Come on. Sex. Do you enjoy it?
Nina chuckles nervously, reluctant to answer, and Tamal reminds her that they need to be able to talk about this. Why? Yeah, I didn't understand that either. I don't get that. At Nina's continued silence, Tomá reveals that he has a little homework assignment for her. He instructs her to go home and touch herself, to live a little. Nina is taken aback, still unable to find the words as her eyes search for them. But Tomá notes that it's late, and with so much work to do tomorrow...
He then departs the room, leaving Nina alone on the couch as he tells her that the doorman will find a cab for her. I was like, God damn, just get out. It was rude. It was rude. I didn't know if he was like, Beth is on her way. I am getting killed tonight. I didn't know. Part of me was surprised that he did not try to take it further than this. Yeah, me too. It almost feels like grooming behavior where we've already crossed a line and we're starting to like.
piece by piece go further and further and further and further so it feels like this is step one and we're just gonna keep pushing that envelope and it it just oh i just hate him i just hate him i hate him so much and i feel so bad for nina because it's like We know how badly she wanted this. And so it's either we can just act like this is totally normal and he's just trying to get the best performance out of us. Because if it's the alternative, I've ended up in.
nightmare yeah and everything that I've worked so hard for and this dream that I had it is It's ruined. And I honestly think what he said when they were in his office, when he's like, you know, the proficiency doesn't matter to me.
that alone would be like what the fuck yeah and i would be heartbroken just to hear that yeah it's like it doesn't matter how good you are yeah like i don't i don't know i just it i understand to an extent where we're like yeah This is a dual role and half of it is technically precise. studied yeah professional the other half you really need to lose yourself
I get that. But it's like you really took that crack in the door and you fucking shoved your foot in there. Well, it is that he's using it. Yes. To. Like you're saying, this is going to further your dance. It's going to help you. So if you just do, no, man, you don't. We can meditate or we can sit in the park. There's so many things we can do. I don't need to come over here and talk to you about sex. We could also dance.
we can also yeah dance is good too dance not what we've learned just dance just feel your body move just listen to the music and do what feels right you know what i mean like like a director you know yeah you know maybe maybe something like that yeah But Nina arrives home to her apartment very late in the evening, and as she stands in her mirror taking off her earrings, Erica scoffs with jealousy. Sounds like quite an evening. Wish I could have been there.
Nita reminds her mother, you know I asked. Why couldn't she go? Yeah. What happened? She calls all the time. She can't even attend. that is weird yeah with everybody that was there that's It's odd. I feel like Tomas like I don't like I feel like he's the one that put the stop. Like I don't want your mother around. Yeah. I thought that maybe she did something when she was in the company or whatever. See, that's kind of how I took it. Do you know him?
Has he been in this business long enough to where y'all have crossed paths? And I wondered that too, especially the way that Erica talks about him specifically. And with Nina only being in this company for four years, I don't think that that's enough for her to have such like that kind of, it's the framing of how she says these things. So that's something that I would like to be known or explored.
for sure oh yeah because it's like you could put on a dress and stand there yeah and they're like no she cannot come that's crazy yeah and you have an in at the office apparently yeah be her plus one I think that's what really staggered me is because it was enough that Nina even had to ask. Yeah. But Erica says that she knows because Susie already told her. The red phone? Yeah. Like the light blinks. There's like a light in the sky and it's like a ballet dancer.
But I think that's even, that's wild to me because Susie's like, you know, no, Nina did go to bat for you. She tried. Yeah. That's so strange. But I just, why do you need to be gone to bat for? I don't know. It's very weird. But Nina takes down her hair, and Erika combs her fingers through it, noting that she guesses Tomá just wanted her all to himself.
Nina insists that that isn't why, but as Erica caresses the small of Nina's bare back, she admits that she doesn't blame Toma. But Nina's earrings catch Erica's eye, and she asks her daughter where she got them. Nina tells her mother that they're fake, and as Erica collects them to put into Nina's jewelry box, she scoffs. it's really weird and I think that she thinks that Toma gave her those earrings yeah and I feel like we don't really know
the context of these earrings until later because I sure the fuck didn't. No, there's some missing reels and I was very shocked. She returns to her daughter to help her out of her dress, but Nina stops her, telling her mother that she can do it herself. But Erika continues, loosening the strap of Nina's gown, commenting that Thomas must have been by her side all night, showing her off.
But when Erica unfastens the left strap, she's taken aback by the abrasion that still rests on Nina's shoulder blade. She responds with concern, but Nina assures her mother that it's just a rash and that it was much worse a few days ago. Erica has resigned that Nina has been scratching herself again, calling it a disgusting habit, as she lets Nina's dress fall to the floor.
Nina scolds her mother as she stands there in just a pink pair of underwear, modestly covering her breasts as Erica drags her to the bathroom. This is so humiliating. And I understand now why she was hiding it earlier. Yes. I did see on that featurette that what they did for that rash at times, I think especially later on, it is enhanced digitally. But they also put glue.
and then pressed a mold with this texture on it into the glue. So then you peel the mold back and that rash is there. They said it was like five, 10 minutes and it was done. That's wild. It works. It's very effective. But Erica fumes. I thought you were done with this, Nina. Her voice grows frantic as she instructs her daughter to keep wearing her shrugs. She says that she has the white one and the pink one, and that'll hide it.
She sits Nina down on the edge of the bathtub and grabs a pair of scissors to tend to Nina's nails. I hate that. Yeah, no, no, no. Erica adds that she'll dig out some of that expensive cover-up and no one will even see it. Nina weakly whines, Mom, please. But Erica realizes, it's the role, isn't it? She says that she knew it would be too much. She clips Nina's nails sharply, cutting a little too far on one finger, and as Nina winces in pain, Erica kisses her daughter's hand.
breathlessly whispering over and over that Nina will be all right before returning to the scissors. That sound design was wild on this fingernail. Oh my God. I have never seen. nails be cut this way before yeah it what i it was genuinely stressing me out i've tried it the once It was when Jules and I were in Belgrade. I forgot my nail clippers and Jules gave me these. And it's an art.
It looks like we're Freddy Krueger up in this bitch. You're not doing it? I'll bite them first. I will say. It is very effective. I got a really good curve on a nail, but it's hard. You did cut the tip of my finger. I am still recovering, but... And she's doing it so fast. She's not concentrating. If she were being careful and going slow, it wouldn't be such a visceral reaction for me.
it is I was like please stop but I have to honestly I have to be honest whenever I'm cutting my nails with regular nail clippers I feel like I start sweating like i'm disarming a bomb because i feel like i'm like dude one wrong fucking and i'm terrified because i've gone too far once with regular everybody has yeah yeah why do we do it that's the real question
Why do we do it? This is just a natural part of our bodies. Let it grow. But the next morning, Nina awakens in her bed, the sunlight pouring in through her windows past her stuffed animals that line the walls. I will say there is one stuffed animal that I did not notice before, and it is kind of in the center of the shot, and it is a black swan. Oh, okay.
But at this very moment, Nina seems to recall Tomá's assignment from the night before. The camera follows her hand as she reaches beneath her blankets and finds herself between her legs. The music grows serene as her fingers begin their dance, and a deep and relaxed breath escapes her. She writhes for a moment, rolling out of her blankets to settle on her stomach, her hips thrusting as she pants, exuberantly exhaling against her pillow in the purest pleasure.
But she turns her head, opening her eyes to discover, to her horror. that Erica is fast asleep in a chair right next to her bed. Oh, my God. This has to be worse than the Babadook, right? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Because I know that you always cite that as... Criminal. I think something else will be cited from now on. Oh, my God. The score pulses sharply as Nina races to cover herself in her blanket. My mom ate my homework. But again, the symbolism of this, of her... sexually exploring in her mother.
putting a stop putting a stop to it yeah her being unable to discover herself in this way because of her mother. Overbearing. Yes. And why the fuck are you? Why are you in here? There's really no need. I guarantee her defense is I wanted to make sure you wouldn't scratch yourself. Get out. I'm trying. That's the whole point. Get the hell out of here.
But later that day, in the large studio, the dance company gathers to rehearse for Swan Lake, the pianist playing vibrantly and Nina joining a chorus of dancers to practice their so-de-cha leaps together. But the door suddenly bursts open, a blubbering ballerina crossing the dance floor to collapse tearfully into the arms of a ballet mistress. She sobs. Beth's in the hospital. She had an accident.
The mistress crumbles into tears as the company surrounds her, their concerned murmurs pervading the space as Nina joins them, a look of worry washing over her face. Anybody else think Toma attacked her? Yes. That's the first thing I thought. I thought that it was exactly that. Like she did come to pay him a visit. Exactly. And he did something. But we cut to a gorgeous plaza, Nina sitting with Tomá at the edge of a fountain at its center as the water rises high over their shoulders.
Nina asks him what happened to Beth, and he explains that last night she walked into the street and got hit by a car. Nina absorbs this tragic news, but Toma isn't finished. He's almost sure that she did it on purpose. Nina wonders how he could possibly know that, and Tomás states that everything Beth does comes from within, from some dark impulse. He supposes that that's what made her so thrilling to watch, that she was so dangerous, perfect at times, but also so damn destructive.
And to me, everything that he's describing... She sounds like the perfect Swan Queen. Yeah, that duality. Yeah. And yet he does this and he forces this. And he breaks her entire being, really. Yeah. I would really love to learn more about the dynamic between the two of them. Even if the girls are in the dressing room saying, like, I heard bubble.
Cause what did she, was just, she not going to take a shit anymore? Maybe. Cause she was fucking throwing shit around in the dressing room. I'm just like, what was the line for Toma to be like, you're out unless. He is just like, oh, she's too old. And I feel like that it was probably just that simple. That's disgusting. Yeah. But because you saying that that did.
him him being that way with her and then turning around for nina and just like no let's go like he did yes back at the show it's like dude you don't give a shit about them no that was And you know what? I think that that might be it because him calling her my little princess. It's such like.
I don't know. It's like kind of gross. Like I can see somebody calling their little daughter that. Yeah. It's just like a weird thing to say. And maybe he is like, well, she's not a little princess anymore. Like she's a grown woman. I need a new little princess. And Nina is so naive. And so like we were talking about at the beginning. Yeah. Very like young seem like childlike. Yeah. That's fucking gross. I'm getting like angrier the more that we talk about this. I think I think the only thing.
As far as making a decision that wouldn't be the worst but is still fucking terrible is if we go back to what Veronica said about the financial implications of her. still leading the dance company and how people weren't coming to the ballet anymore. that's the only thing that it's like oh so he made a financial decision but it does not feel that way well and i feel him saying that beth is thrilling to watch and she's this and that
I feel like that's just taking that sentiment from Toma and making it wider. Yeah. That the public doesn't want to watch her anymore because yes, she can dance, but oh my gosh, she's 40. It's like. It's irritating. I'm fucking very annoyed. Honestly, I feel worse probably for Beth. this entire film. I mean, Beth is definitely a casualty. Like she is a victim.
And I feel like so much is being said just with that character and it's happening so peripherally that it's just like it is interesting to kind of explore that for a moment because. Yeah, I would. I would like to see a little bit more of her like Tomas just shunning her. Yeah. Like, what was it like? What happened? Unless it is just as simple as that.
And I feel like, I don't know, it seems like everyone surrounding Nina is almost like either aspirational or a cautionary tale. Yeah. Her own mother. Beth. And Lily. Yeah. And it's just like, I don't know. And I also feel so bad for Nina because at least according to Toma, it's like you're and he said you're not enough, basically. Yeah. So it's like, God damn.
Well, it's like the pressure is unbelievable. Yeah. Like coming from within, coming from her mother, coming from Toma. Like it's just, it's. It's enough to break you. Yeah. But realization dawns on Nina and she worriedly asks, was it right after we saw her? But Tomá reaches a comforting hand to Nina's cheek, assuring her that this has nothing to do with her. He reminds Nina that this is not her problem, and she can't allow herself to be distracted by it.
Locking eyes with her, Tomas states with certainty, This is your moment, Nina. Don't let it go. And Nina nods in acceptance. But later that day, we find Nina in the halls of a hospital, creeping her way toward the opened door of Beth's room. I feel like that's bold. Yeah. Yeah. Our interaction was not great the one time that we met. No, but I would like to see what she has to say. Yeah. I would honestly, too, because if we are just like we talked about, you know, her.
little back and forth with Thomas was, you know what I mean? Maybe let's go ask Beth. Yeah. Maybe let's go see. I was surprised to see her here, but yeah, I think, yeah, it kind of is a good idea. Yeah. And I honestly, I feel like it speaks. to Nina as a character because I think that she really does care about Beth. Yeah. But through the reflection in the window, she discovers Beth lying in bed surrounded by bouquets from well-wishers, her face wearing the wounds of her accident.
After she summons the proper courage, Nina enters the room, carrying a small bag and reaching inside of it to retrieve the bouquet that she brought for Beth, and she adds it to the array of arrangements. But after she does, Nina inches her way closer to Beth's hospital bed, surveying her sleeping face before reaching a trembling hand to Beth's blanket, lifting it up. Below the fabric of Beth's hospital gown.
Nina discovers a large frame of an external fixator inserted through the broken bones of Beth's legs, her flesh badly bruised at her thigh. But Nina continues lower, discovering a poorly stitched wound at Beth's shin, showing signs of rot and infection. So these legs are completely fake. Oh, okay. I didn't know, you know, obviously.
They're not going to break her legs. But I guess she is like under the bed or she's standing or something because the legs are on the bed and she's kind of, you know, her. like waist and up is up at the top of it but they were like it's so different just seeing making these legs and just seeing them and then when you put them up to her body they're like it's this is like fucking disturbing because it looks so seamless yeah One thing I will say, I saw on a featurette as well.
That wound that's on her shin, I saw people coming in and they were dropping maggots all over. And so I think that this scene was supposed to be a lot worse than it was that we get. Yeah. I can. I'm conflicted because. I think obviously if we saw that, we would be like, the hospital is not allowing this to just go like this. And also, I mean, the fact that this happened the night before, that's odd as well for a wound to be infected.
you know to look this bad yeah I think it might be a little too much but in all honesty I think that I don't think that this wound is there Because I feel like the way that it's so poorly stitched, it all looks so almost like Nina is imagining it worse than it is because of her guilt.
Okay. Yeah, I can see that for sure. I think that this being done in a subtle way is a little bit better because if you're not paying... close attention you can just be like damn her legs are fucked up yeah and if you think a little bit further it's like why why why is it like that yeah but if you saw wriggling maggots it's like okay This is not happening in this hospital. I honestly miss the maggots. I think the maggots would have done well. Not as like performance.
I think that it would have... Are you their agent? I'm trying to get... These maggots more work. They really let themselves go. They are flies now. It was 15 years ago. They're not so rigid and technical. They really just let themselves feel it. But Nina gasps, dropping the blanket, backing away, and bumping into a nurse played by Leslie Lyles who asks what she's doing in here. Nina doesn't answer and instead breezes right past her to exit the room and leave the hospital altogether.
She returns to the Lincoln Center, where she sits sobbing at the vanity in the principal dressing room. She collects herself, retrieving items from a small black bag to set in front of her. These items include a sharp nail file and the lipstick that she stole from Beth. empty pack of cigarettes, which are definitely not Nina's. No. Should have been a clue. Should have, but it wasn't. It feels like, you know, when people have like, if they're like gambling or if they're.
they have their routines or like their good luck charms or whatever yeah like bingo or even perform like bingo or like even like i guess here would be appropriate in your dressing room or something where you have your like little totems that you set up. That's what this felt like. That's fair. And so I didn't know. I was like, what? I thought that she was adding Beth's lipstick to kind of like. So did I. Yeah, we'll talk about it. But yeah.
That's what this felt like. It felt very ritualistic, like superstitious. Once you know more, you're like, was it a shrine? Yeah. I think you could classify it. Yes. But sometime later, at her apartment, Nina takes out the trash, tossing it into a community compactor just outside of her unit, and next to the compactor, she finds a plank of discarded wood among several others. She lifts it, holding it in her hands, and makes note of its size and length before she returns to her apartment.
She carries it with her, creeping down the hall to peek in on her mother in her bedroom, who sits sobbing at her easel with her back to the door, continuing one of the unfinished portraits of her daughter. The music grows tense as Nina sneaks to her own bedroom, closing the door behind her and placing the length of wood that she found in such a way that it blocks the door from anyone trying to open it.
that she has to do this. But I think this is when I noticed because when she walks in, you think that you're watching her and then it's her reflection in the mirror. This is when I was like, oh, we are like, this is a motif. We're. continually doing very interesting shit with mirrors yeah
And it's I mean, it really is constant. Yeah. And I know we talked about it earlier. But one thing as far as the cinematography is concerned. Right. A lot of the times they maneuvered and choreographed the camera to where you could avoid these mirrors completely.
which takes a ridiculous amount of work. Yeah. And sometimes they are caught in the shot and they were removed digitally. Okay. And so... no knowledge of when which of these is taking place right is just a credit to not only the cinematography but that digital effects work yeah no it's super impressive because i'm like How difficult, there are so many mirrors. Yes. How difficult would that be to never catch, like, what was it?
Oh, Texas Chainsaw. Yeah. And the reflection of the man. It's like, wow, that's a full ass camera. To not catch one of those. You know what I mean? But it really is impressive some of the framing of the shots where you're like, oh, like you said, we're not watching Nina at all. We're watching her reflection, which is so thematically rich. Definitely saying something. But the noise of Nina's test alerts Erica to her presence, and she calls out for her daughter, wondering if she's looking for her.
It's like, again, why do you always feel that you are needed all the time? She needs that. Yeah. And I think that that's what has been forced. Nina rushes to hide the piece of wood underneath her bed before quickly climbing underneath her blankets, turning nonchalantly to face her mother when she opens the door. They smile at each other.
I feel like because I know this bitch was talking to Susie earlier. I was surprised that she wasn't like, did you hear about Beth or I heard about Beth or whatever? Yeah. You know what? I wonder if that's why she was sobbing in the.
true yeah okay i just feel like she would have used this as some kind of a like do you see what can happen or yeah that's true well because even whenever she was talking to Susie on the phone earlier it's very funny constantly but she was really talking up Beth and she's like I know that you know Asking all of them to audition like this. I know they don't have Beth's magic feet, but you know, so she even sees Beth as like this pinnacle. Right.
But the following day at the studio, Nina practices her duet with David, a captive audience surrounding them as Tomah directs Nina's every movement. He implores her to let it go, remarking that she's as stiff as a corpse. But once the dance is complete, he instructs them to go again. We cut abruptly to Nina, resting on a mat in front of a physical therapist played by Michelle Rodriguez Noel.
The therapist reaches under Nina's ribs, massaging what she notes is a contraction in Nina's diaphragm. Nina groans as she's instructed to let out a deep exhale. She then sets the joints at Nina's ankles, pulling them sharply and checking in with Nina to gauge her discomfort.
this i believe is a real thing that was happening i have in my notes like this is not based on any kind of fact just purely my imagination but i feel like this is natalie portman being worked on yes that's what that's how It felt, because, ooh. Yikes. I know that, again, they do have to, when you're doing sports or whatever, they are... massaging and trying to work out muscles and stuff.
But damn, her hand was deep inside her ribs. It felt, it was hard to look at. Like it felt like it would hurt a lot. I think she was like cupping the diaphragm. I don't know how that operates. Human bodies are magical. They're wild. There's a lot of stuff going on in there. But we return to her rehearsal, this time in the principal studio, with Tomás seated across from Nina and David, who continue practicing the steps of their duet.
Tomás shakes his head in disappointment, bringing the dance to an abrupt stop before he addresses David, not mincing his words when he asks him honestly. Would you fuck that girl? I'm seething. And for him to be, he's doing this on Maine. Right. Like, I thought that, I have not seen him speak sexually. In a group setting. I thought that this was something that he was trying being like.
disgustingly strategic right yes yeah but he's not and so to be like no this is this is sex dance is sex the swan did it or whatever like him being like would you fuck her that's so degrading like he's already being so hypercritical which i get we're like But like that is so fucking degrading. And you realize not once has he had one critical word to David.
Yeah. What? No way. Not to really anyone. Yeah. I bet he's fun at parties. Yeah. Fucking blast. Always saw him at a party. Yeah. Pretty annoying. But David just chuckles instead of answering, and Tomá takes that as a no, announcing no one would. He approaches Nina, declaring that her dancing is just as frigid. But before he can continue his admonishment, the lights suddenly shut off.
At this seemingly late hour, Tomah calls out, reminding whoever is in the control room that they're still working in here. And when the lights return, Tomah excuses everyone from the studio, except for Nina.
As David leaves with Sergio and the piano player, he offers a kinda gross... have fun you two what the fuck so this is habitual yeah this is a this is a um what do you call it like a quiet secret or whatever yeah everybody knows but nobody's talking about it that is all that told me right there and as nina when he said frigid i'd be like oh beth was absolutely telling the fucking truth because that's what she said yeah that he said about me
One thing on the positive side is I did appreciate the lights shutting out being like a seed for a future scare. Yes. Yeah. But everything else is very fucked up. But I hate everything else. Everything else is a real problem. But all alone now, Toma directs Nina in a personal practice session, playing the role of her prince. As he hums the melody, he guides Nina through the steps, getting closer and far more intimate with his touches and motions than David ever did.
As they continue, he instructs her once again, let it go. The strings rise in the score as Tomá lifts Nina off her feet, his eager hands caressing her thighs and her butt as he implores her to feel his touch and to respond to it. Nina pushes him away, only for the pair to meet again in a long kiss. Tomah breathlessly orders Nina to open her mouth, and she does, their tongues dancing together just as they were before.
His hands reach hungrily for her breasts before they sink down and find Nina between her legs. She moans as their kiss grows more passionate. But just as abruptly as it all began, Tomas pulls away from her. Nina stands confused as he walks away, explaining, that was me seducing you when it needs to be the other way around. He thought he ate with that. He did. And despite how fucking inappropriate this is, once again, we are seeing Nina's kind of sexual awakening being put back to bed before.
she can i'm trying to not get an email after this i think i might get one this week but you know what i mean yeah once again she's Yes. Quite. So I just I can't get over how fucked up it is and how unnecessary all of this kind of direction is. Right. He can't as as Nina is dancing with David. He can't say respond to him.
you know, follow his lead, his touches, et cetera. He has to be the one to do it. He has to be the one going over boundaries. Yeah. Cause he's getting off on it and he's getting off on the control of the moment that you start to. enjoy quote unquote what we're doing i'm gonna snatch it right back and you need to do that to me and but like it's he's fucking gross it's his need for control just like with picking nina over beth just like with
forcing Beth into retirement. I hate him. He's not great. No. But Nina begs Thomas to wait and he just exits the studio instead without another word. Nina gathers her things, gets dressed, and sits crying in a heap in front of the mirror. After a while, someone enters the room at the opposite end, and for a brief moment, in the shadows... She appears to look exactly like Nina. Who is that? And in a voice that sounds exactly like Nina, the figure answers, Hey.
But as soon as she steps out of the shadows, in an instant, the figure is revealed to be Lily, who places a cigarette into her mouth and lights it. That was great. Yeah, that was real cool. I'm thinking about the cigarettes now though. Hmm. Hmm. Okay. Did she take? Nina's got some sticky fingers. I wonder, I wonder if I will talk later. All right. But she asks if Nina is okay, but all Nina can muster is to remind Lily that she can't smoke in here.
Lily jokes that she won't tell if Nina won't, and she takes a seat next to her. She remarks that the big day is getting closer and closer, and Nina just looks at her with weary eyes. But Lily assures her that she can't wait because she's sure that Nina is going to be amazing. Nina thanks her and surprisingly takes a cigarette from her when offered one.
Lily lights it for her, and as Nina takes her first puff, Lily asks if she wants to talk about it. But Nina turns away from her, crumbling into sobs as she just admits that it was a hard day. Lily wonders if Toma is playing a little too rough for her, and she levels with Nina that he's a prick. Nina disagrees, though, insisting that Thomas is brilliant. But Lily counters that it's not like he's all warm and fuzzy.
But Nina then defends Tamah, telling Lily that she doesn't know him, which shocks Lily momentarily until she realizes exactly what's going on. Someone's hot for teacher. This offends Nina beyond repair, and she rises to collect her things. Lily insisting that she was only playing around, but Nina just marches silently toward the exit. You could see the like Sims minus friendship bar when she said that. No shit. Oh, no, that wasn't it. That was not it. Nina will remember this.
you when she started defending him I was like oh no you're buying into the bullshit he's trying to sell you it's very sad and another thing is that Lily's only been here for a few days yeah and even she's like I already know this fucker yeah And I feel like it's such a, his brilliance is such like a get out of jail free card. He's a prick. No, he's brilliant. You can be both. That's the thing. Yeah.
But that evening, Nina rests in a warm bath at her apartment. After a moment of calm reflection, she reaches her hands down, past her stomach to find herself between her legs. She gives in to the pleasure only for a moment before seeming to grow bored with it, exhaling deeply as she sinks beneath the surface of the water. A low hum sounds in her ears as she peers up at the ceiling through the ripples of her bathwater.
But when she closes her eyes, we watch as blood begins to trickle just above her, the crimson dissipating in front of her closed eyes. But when she opens them again, she discovers herself leaning over her, a sick smile stretched across her face. Nina's eyes widen with fear as she lurches upward, resurfacing to catch her breath. She looks over at her hand, which clutches the side of the bathtub, and she discovers that her index and middle finger are covered in blood.
She reaches for the rash at her shoulder before climbing out of the bath to inspect it in the mirror. I did find it peculiar as far as maybe some symbolism is concerned of the fingers that she reached downward to be covered in blood now. Okay. I did wanna say that the way that they accomplished this scare was really interesting to me. The cinematographer had used a lot of handheld cameras throughout the production, but they showed in a featurette.
Firstly, there are giant light boxes throughout this bathroom for the filming of this scene. Damn. Like one above one to the side. And you're just like, you never realize what goes into a production. Yeah. But the way they accomplished that shot of Nina looking down and us kind of taking her point of view was filming through a periscope. Oh, I love that. I was like, that's really cool. Yeah. It looked cool, too. Yeah.
But in the mirror, Nina finds that not only is the abrasion at her shoulder raw and red, but that the surface of her skin appears scaly, a pocked pattern now dotting the site of her wrath. She looks down at her fingernails, which seem to have noticeably grown, so she reaches into her medicine cabinet and snags the scissors to cut them shorter.
The camera arcs over her shoulder to find her reflection in the mirror, her face suddenly growing sinister as laughter echoes around her, and she intentionally snips the tip of her finger right down the center. Blood pours from her fresh wound as Nina seizes a towel, applying pressure to it as she tries to catch her breath. But through the door, Erica calls out to her, demanding to know in an accusatory tone what Nina is doing in there.
But Nina just focuses on her finger, her ragged breaths not seeming to catch, and her stare growing despondent. her mom's like you want to see my new chainsaw and hockey basket it's like dude now it's not the fucking time please leave me alone but i feel like this is such an escalation yes watching all of this happen and we're kind of in this view from the outside as well as what she is seeing yeah it is very disturbing and it's like i think it's time to field
some outside help yeah oh yeah i'd have been in the corner just sitting there yeah this it's horrifying yeah that look in her eyes in the mirror yeah it was like oh this is beyond my experience yeah exactly this is past my pay grade But the following morning, Nina rehearses with David in the expansive dance studio, accompanied by a pianist and a violin player played by Tim Fane, and all under the judgmental and focused eye of Thomas.
The camera settles on Thomas, who sits in the middle of the large rows of seating, disappointment etched in his brow as the dance comes to its conclusion, and he immediately orders. Again. The serene melody returns, Nina and David dancing in unison, following each other's movements intently and intimately, the duet reaching its end as David lifts Nina above him, and she spreads her arms like wings. only to be brought sweetly back to the ground in a warm embrace.
Once again, without comment, Thomas intones. Again. The dancers return to their mark, but after a moment of swaying together, Nina breaks away from David, approaching Tama and earnestly asking him if he has any corrections. Thomas just descends the steps to reach the dance floor, revealing that Lily told him that she saw Nina crying, that she was very upset, and that Thomas should take it easy on her.
Oh, so you talk to Lily now. That's cool. But so I was like, OK, until he finally says this, all of that was what punishment? I guess. Because he had nothing constructive to say. No. He's just like, guess what I heard? Yeah. What the hell does that have to do with any of this? And even so, like, what if that is true? Who gives a shit? I showed up. I'm rehearsing. Exactly.
And you know what just happened the other night. Yeah. Like, don't act like that was a normal fucking rehearsal. Like, I don't, I hate him. I just hate this guy. But Nina denies ever telling this to Lily. But Tomas suggests that maybe Nina needs a break. A day or two. A week. Maybe a month. Nina defends herself, retorting that Lily shouldn't have said anything. But full of disdain, Tomas spits back. No, you shouldn't have been whining in the first place.
That's crazy as fuck. Yeah, it is. Nina once again denies that she did, but Tomá bluntly tells her that she could be brilliant, but she's a coward. Nina looks up at Tomah with gentle eyes, softly whispering that she's sorry, and Tomah explodes, ordering her to stop saying that, to stop being so fucking weak. Nina struggles against tears as Tomá calls to the musicians, directing them to run through it again, and Nina once again joins David at their mark to rehearse their duet.
I liked it better when Doc Ock was just like brilliant but lazy. You know what I mean? That gets the point across. Yeah, you know, this is a little much, man. I think another thing that pisses me off about this is if you're so fucking dissatisfied, then recast the part. Yeah, just who cares about my feelings? Are you playing with me now or do you like what? It's just mind games. You want some time off? It's just mean.
But later on, Nina passes through the crowded dressing room, her fingers reaching through her sweater to the back of her irritated shoulder as she rounds the corner to confront Lily, who sits super casual at the vanity. I feel like this is one of the only times that we see maybe what is causing that abrasion. And it's so slight and so quick. Like, oh, she does scratch there when she's feeling like this. Yeah.
Veronica, who stands next to Lily, sarcastically remarks, Oh, look who's decided to grace us with her present. But Nina, once again reflected in the mirror in the corner of the room, clutches her bag nervously and tells Lily that she needs to talk to her. Lily accepts this, but Nina demands, now. Her insistent tone inspires Veronica to respond, ow! But Lily tells her to shut up and finds a secluded area for her and Nina to talk.
There in the hall, between the dressing rooms, away from the other dancers, Lily ties her hair back coolly, asking, What's up? But a wounded Nina asks if she really told Tomah about what happened last night. Lily cops to it immediately, telling Nina that she ran into him this morning, and he said that he and Nina were having some trouble.
Nina wonders why Tomah would talk to Lily at all. And Lily just scoffs, snarking. Excuse me, your highness. That did sound kind of fucked up. Yeah. Why would he talk to you? Yeah. Fuck you. I'll be in the dressing room. But she reveals that all she said to Toma is that Nina has been working her ass off and she's sure that she'll be great. Nina bites back that Lily shouldn't have, her tone far more stern and certain than we've ever heard from her.
But this inspires a chuckle from Lily, who agrees to Nina's terms before walking back toward the dressing room. I gotta be honest, I flat out believe Lily. She seems very sincere. Yeah. Extremely sincere. Like she sees what Toma is doing to her. Yeah. And she's like, hey. chill out dude well from two from what we've already seen from this dude I'm sure that did happen and he twisted her words
to come and try to make Nina feel like shit. But it was also two years, I was like, damn, so do they, none of them like each other? It's like everybody, they're all mean to each other. I think it's just that. Competitive? Yeah. That culture of competition. It just sucks because you would really like to see. everyone band together you know we do have to work together exactly and i'm sure and i would hope most companies are like that like dance companies are like that but
I mean, I don't know. I'm not a dancer. I will say the dance companies they interviewed on the Futurettes seemed very... Yes, they interviewed them in the future. Calm down, everyone. But on the featurette, they seemed like they really liked each other. Okay, good, good. But that evening on the subway, Nina sits alone filing her nails on a long bench. But when she looks up, she sees an older man in a suit played by Stanley B. Herman seated across from her.
He starts to make kissing sounds at her before licking his lips in her direction. Nina turns away, not wanting to give him any attention, but then he starts making lip smacking noises, and when Nina turns to face him again, he's seemingly simulating Nina touching herself. And he, I mean, he really gets into it. Yeah. so long. It goes on for a while. I will say hilariously we match cut from his mouth sounds to the flicking of a lighter in Nina's apartment. It was a wild choice.
something very wild about this dude. Okay. This This guy, Stanley B. Herman, he is credited as playing the character Uncle Hank in this film. He is also credited as playing the character Uncle Hank in Requiem for a Dream. I did notice... that and I did want to ask because I have no idea how this is He is the guy that screams ass to ass, if you recall. Oh, okay.
Somebody needs to lock this man up. Yeah, because he's just roaming from town to town. I'm horrified. Yeah, so I'm like, this is the same dude, the same character. Yeah. Showing up in Black Swan. I'm disturbed. Yeah. That is cool though. That part's cool. But it's like, holy shit. But we find Nina seated on the floor in front of Erica in the room with the triptych mirror. As Erica sits sewing at the piano bench, Nina burns the ribbon on her ballet slippers.
I read that ballerinas do this to keep the ribbons from fraying and so they don't come apart while you're dancing. Okay. Yeah, I feel like that would be a safety concern. Yeah. And again, I feel like there's so much like inside knowledge that is just planted into the film like this. like we saw earlier with the preparation of the slippers. Yeah. That only comes through just a really, really incredible amount of research.
yeah because i mean you could easily just put the shoe on and then be like oh look i'm dancing right yeah but really like because i didn't know and then as it went on like oh I take it you're toughening up the shoe or making it a little more flexible to move. But can you imagine how infuriating that would be for a dancer to watch this movie and they just take it out of the plastic? Put it right on.
But through the large space between them, Erika asks her daughter if Thomas has tried anything with her because he has a reputation. That's interesting. Yeah. When Nina doesn't answer, Erica states that she has the right to be concerned, especially since Nina has spent so many nights late rehearsing.
She just doesn't want Toma taking advantage of her. But over it, Nina finally answers that he isn't. Erika tells her that that's good and says that she just doesn't want Nina to make the same mistake that she did. Nina looks up at her, taking this as a comment on her existence, and she offers her mother a wounded thank. That little back and forth told us a lot. A lot. Yeah. But Erica insists that she didn't mean it like that. She just meant as far as her career was concerned. Nina scoffs.
This stings Erica, who adds that it was the career that she gave up to have Nina. Nina reminds her mother that she was 28 and only in the... But she stops herself. Erica spurns her on, but Nina is reluctant to finish her sentence. Erica then changes the subject to something that she knows will sting right back, asking Nina,
This is fucking rough. It's wild. Also, can we normalize not throwing in your kid's face the things that you... quote unquote sacrificed for them or didn't get to do for them when they did not fucking ask to be here no like can we not do that that's This is hard to watch. Nina answers that her skin is fine, and she tries to brush it off when Erica asks if she can see.
Her mother then stands up, sternly ordering Nina to take off her shirt. But Nina stands her ground with a firm no. But the mother and daughter are soon interrupted when the doorbell rings, and the tension dissolves as Erica goes to answer it, pulling it open just a crack, stopped by the chain lock as she talks quietly to whoever is standing outside.
Nina cranes her neck to listen, but the voices are quiet and indistinct, and before she can even hear a word, Erica closes the door and returns to the living room, assuring Nina that it was no one when she asked. When we... We'll see in a minute how fucking insane this one is. Yeah. But... Did you see how the second that Nina gave her a little pushback, she had to reassert her dominance and be like, take your shirt off. Like, it's so like, I, I, this woman is.
a piece of work a piece of work i think that's the most generous way that we can put it but um Yeah, please continue because she she was making me laugh. It's too much. It's awkward as fuck. It's beyond. Nina doesn't believe her mother and rushes for the door, unlocking it and peering into the hall. A woman stands there with her back to the door, with long brown hair eerily similar in stature to Nina. But when she turns around, we see that it's Lily.
She greets Nina with a smile, and as Erica approaches her daughter from behind, Nina steps into the hall, closing the door behind her. Lily explains that she just came by to apologize. She says that Nina was right. She never should have spoken to Tama about her. But Erica opens the door, calling out into the hall. sweetheart, your dinner. Nina's like, mom, please. And Erica just stands in the crack of the door, closing it in a very, he's losing his mind. And I'm reaping the benefits kind of way.
Yeah, it looked very funny. It was hilarious. And you were not having dinner. Not at all. But Lily just chuckles, calling Erica a trip. But Nina inches forward, asking how Lily even knows where she lives. Lily just shrugs, insisting that she has her ways. But when worry washes over Nina, Lily implores her to relax, revealing that she just got it from Susie in the office.
Suzy, goddamn. I know. Suzy, be talking. Lily reiterates that she just feels really shitty about what happened, and she offers to take Nina out to dinner. Nina appears reluctant, so Lily amends the dinner invitation to drink. Almost on cue, Erica wrenches the door open again, calling out. Sweetie, you need to rest. Lily goes, Jesus. Oh my God.
But Nina has had enough, telling Lily to wait as she reaches inside to grab her coat and shoes. Erica asks what she's doing, and Nina answers simply, I'm going out. She exits to the stairs with Lily as Erica warns her daughter that she's on the stage tomorrow. But we find Lily and Nina sitting together at a table in a crowded and lowly lit restaurant. Lily takes a sip of her drink, scoffing that she can't believe that Toma calls her that.
And Nina insists that she thinks it's sweet, but Lily repeats the nickname, Little Princess? Lily is certain that Tomah probably calls every girl that, but Nina disagrees, sure that it's only for Beth. Lily saying this, I absolutely, from the second I heard him say that to Beth, have been waiting for him to say that to Nina. Oh, yeah. But Lily posits that he'll probably be calling Nina Little Princess any day now.
Nina is doubtful, but Lily insists that he will, adding, and I'm sorry to the friends in the Decorum Forum, that Nina just has to let him lick her pussy. After the Sims minus sign that happened the other night. You know that this was not the move to say to this woman. This was not the way. Was she going to be like, ah? No, dude. She's not going to take this well. Not at all. She does look taken aback. It's like a lily decorum, please.
But the pair are promptly joined by Scott, a server played by Chris Garten. He drops food at the table, a cheeseburger for Lily, extra bloody. Lily thanks him, and Scott tells Lily to let him know if it's juicy enough for her. Lily replies that she will, but Scott pushes his luck, asking if she's got enough. Cheese. I don't even know what the fuck that could mean. I don't know what he tried. Lily's like, no, but you do.
And Scott leaves the table. We'll kindly fuck off. Don't push your luck. Don't push your luck. I had her with the burger. Which was wild. That's crazy. Juicy's a wild word. But Nina is seemingly impressed and intrigued by what she's just witnessed. Lily has an idea, though, reaching into her purse to find a little black garment, asking Nina if she wants to switch her outfit. When Nina doesn't answer, Lily adds that she always carries a spare, just in case she wakes up somewhere unexpected.
Nina smiles and Lily takes a bite of her burger, which looks terrible, by the way. Just, it looks bad. Terrible saying. Take a lap. But she asks Nina, so how is he? Toma. Nina counters that she wouldn't know, and when pressed by Lily, Nina ends the conversation, telling Lily that she doesn't really want to talk about that. Assessing the situation, though, Lily finds the solution. Nina really needs to relax. Which she's been told time and time and time again.
She reaches into her purse to snag her cigarette case, opening it to find two small pill capsules filled with white powder. She places one in front of Nina and sets one down for herself, promising Nina that it's pure and there's nothing to worry about. She says that she brought it with her straight from San Francisco. Nina politely eats her salad, asking Lily what it even is.
As Lily swallows her pill with a sip of her drink, she's surprised to learn that Nina has never rolled. You're surprised? She's like, really? Lily just tells her that it'll help her relax, to loosen her up, to let her see the night sky. Nina wonders how long it lasts and learns that it's only for a couple of hours tops. She mulls it over for a moment before deciding against it, and Lily just returns Nina's pill to her cigarette case.
See how she's not dosing her friend's drink? Yeah. Very demure. Very mindful. Not like last week. No. But we cut to Nina in the restroom, trying on the black top that Lily retrieved from her purse. She puts it on over the undershirt that she was already wearing, but she turns in the mirror to inspect the rash on her shoulder.
The second she does her cell phone rings complete with a Swan Lake ringtone, which I thought was a nice touch. Yeah, it is a nice touch. But I'm like, of course, that's this person's ringtone. Yeah, it's Erica. Yeah. Nina just slams her phone shut with a sigh, and after taking another look at her shoulder, she throws the long-sleeved shirt that she was wearing before on top of Lily's top.
There is this like strange, almost like rattling sound every time we see this rash. I think it is really cool. But again, Lily giving her this black top to put on. She puts it on. Her mother calls. She covers it up. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And I also thought it was very interesting that the top fits her perfectly. It does. But as she returns to the restaurant, she finds Lily sitting at the bar with a couple of guys surrounding her. Nina watches as Lily pops open the pill capsule.
pouring the white powder into a mixed drink and stirring it with her finger. All right, so never mind on the not dosing part. Take it back. Yeah, I take it back. Just as bad. She's not demure or mindful. Music pulses as Lily discovers Nina watching from behind a glass divider, and she rushes over to her, pulling her to join her and her new friends at the bar. Nina is reluctant, but Lily insists that she meet the two gentlemen, who she introduces as Tom and Jerry.
Tom, played by Toby Hemingway, smiles, but Andrew, played by Sebastian Stan, corrects Lily, offering his real name as he shakes her hand. Tom and Jerry was funny. It was. So Toby Hemingway and Sebastian Stan were both in the covenant together in 06. Wild. Oh. Yeah, and Sebastian Stan again, I mean, he was in Fresh in 22, but he's Bucky Barnes. Yeah. You know, and he also did Pam and Tommy in 22 as well. Okay, I...
Did a double take. Yeah. I could not believe this was him. I remember telling JP that he would be very pleasantly surprised by one casting choice. And I was. But Nina is still insistent on leaving, reminding Lily that they're on stage tomorrow. But her mind seems to change when Lily asks her, What are you gonna do? Run home to mommy?
She implores Nina to live a little, which again is exactly what Tomah told her. Nina glances down at the drink sitting on the bar, the drink that Lily spiked with ecstasy. Nina confirms that it'll only last a couple of hours, and Lily concurs. Tops. I did appreciate. We both know what you did. Yes. Yeah. But at least she did acknowledge that she was like, it is in the cup. Yeah. I was very worried before, but that is much better. Yeah.
We find the group sometime later, sharing a booth in the restaurant, Andrew trying his best to get to know Nina a little better. As she takes another sip of her drink, she tells him that she's a dancer, but all he was really after was her name. She tells it to him sweetly as Tom wonders if she and Lily are sisters. Nina answers honestly, but Lily lies that they are blood sisters.
Bonina tells the truth that they're in the same dance company, and Tom is amazed to learn that they're ballerinas, and he comments that it's no wonder that they look alike. Again, interesting. Yeah. Andrew turns back to Nina, sharing that he's never been to the ballet before. And Tom remarks that it's kind of boring, isn't it? It's like, fuck you. That's crazy. Hey, the thing you've devoted your life to. Snoozers!
But Nina counters that it isn't, and Lily agrees that it isn't for everyone. But Nina offers that she could comp tickets for them to see a show anytime they want. Andrew mulls it over sincerely, but Tom reacts a bit awkwardly, telling Nina that that would be nice. It's like, God damn. You can't come. No, it's that. Are you trying to pick us up or not? What is going on? Lily calls for another round, and she heads to the bar with Tom to gather the drink.
Andrew remains inquisitive, however, asking Nina what they're working on now at the dance company. Nina is momentarily distracted by another phone call from her mother, but she returns to Andrew, telling him that they're doing Swan Lake to open the season. Andrew conveys his interest, though he doesn't know much about the ballet, and he asks Nina to tell him what it's about. Nina explains that it's about a girl who gets turned into a swan and she needs love to break the spell. But...
Her prince falls for the wrong girl, and so she kills herself. Andrew snarks that it's a happy ending then, and Nina calls the story beautiful, prompting Andrew to add, like you. But Nina's eyes are fixed on her hands and she watches as a wave of bumps suddenly appear on her arms and then disappear in an instant. She asks Andrew to repeat himself, and he does. I said, you're beautiful.
Nina just starts to laugh, though, and Andrew is surprised to learn that this is funny to her. But Nina is suddenly overtaken by the drug in her drink, and when Lily returns, she rubs her face against her shoulder like a cat. Lily realizes that Nina is rolling, and she tells her that it's time to go dance. But we cut jarringly to a nightclub, techno music blasting and colorful lights flashing around the crowded dance floor, alternating green and pink.
So I just wanted to talk about the production designer of this film, Teresa Dupre, very quickly. She had talked about the color palette that is selected for this film, and she herself picked it, according to a featurette. And each color signifies something very important. And the colors that she picked were black, white, green, and pink.
And when you realize that, you realize that you don't really see any other color throughout this entire film. Yeah. Right. But black is obviously meant to convey Nina's dark side. White is her innocence. Pink is her childhood. And green is envy and ambition. Okay. And so when you think about this and you think about how these colors are used throughout the film, we talk a little bit later about the costume design and how Nina's vibe shifts completely.
But when you look at the apartment, the walls being green is Nina's ambition and Erica's envy. Absolutely. Okay. And we're here in this. nightclub and we're getting flashes of pink and green lights. And so you think of it maybe as Nina's jealousy of Lily's free spirit.
And also the loss of this childhood. Yeah. She's shedding it. Okay. That's how I would interpret it as like a. like they're battling yeah right right you know the one once it's lost it's lost you know the innocence But Nina, now without her long-sleeved shirt and wearing Lily's top, dances closely with her, then with Andrew, and in the flickering lights we see Nina and Andrew share a passionate kiss.
But she pulls herself away when she hears a woman cackling over the music, and a chorus of voices taunt her. Sweet girl, sweet girl, sweet girl. Through the sea of faces, Nina finds her own. Only her face is painted a pale white and her eyes are accented with shimmering makeup. She finally returns to reality as the music does, and Lily calls out to her, the pair dancing closely and the shot strobing in and out until it burns away like old film.
I just want to say very quickly that there are so many subliminal shots throughout this entire nightclub sequence. You see not only Nina as I guess her black swan persona. Yeah. But you also see Rothbart. You see Nina as the white swan. You see Lily as the black swan. You see Beth dancing between them. You see Toma. Yeah. You see Erica. Like there are so many things hidden in this very short sequence. I could not capture them all in my script.
That's really cool, though. Yeah, I did notice it, but I'm sure there was more that I didn't see. But it is like that. You see those flashes through there and it's like, what the fuck was that? Wait, is that? What's his face? Oh my God, over here. Yeah. But it is done so good that... It is hard to pay attention to everything, but you do still see.
what you're supposed to focus on. And you realize just how much we are in the perception of Nina. Yeah. That's our entire viewpoint for this film. Yeah. But we suddenly find Nina under a flickering light in a bathroom, surrounded by graffitied walls, and making out with some random guy played by Liam Flaherty.
The bulb cracks and hisses, but Nina breaks away from the man to his annoyance and dismay to step out into the hallway. Nina continues onward, bathed in the red light of a bright bulb above her. Everybody calm down. Technically. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. But this is technically a Giallo film. Moving on. You're kidding. I'm not.
She makes her way through the crowded and cramped corridor, turning a corner to find the exit, the night air fresh on her face as it blows her hair back. As she continues walking, Lily calls out to her from the doorway, asking her where she's going. We cut to the pair, now in their coats, hailing a cab and climbing into the back seat together.
The women sit quietly as they're driven away from the nightclub, but a sly smile stretches across Lily's face as she playfully walks her fingers across the seat and over to Nina's leg. She creeps a little closer, finding Nina between her legs with her fingers. Nina leans her head back, giving in to the pleasure of the moment, but only for a moment before she reaches for Lily's hand to return it back to her.
Lily just chuckles as Nina turns her head to look out of the window, an odd light cast against her face and a seemingly supernatural burst of air cutting through the score. Thank you, but I can do it myself. I was going to say, oh, sorry. Was that forward of me? But Nina brings Lily home, the pair attempting to keep quiet but creating such a clatter that it prompts Erica to make her presence known.
stepping out from the shadows of the living room. Well, I'm like, ain't no way this lady is not waiting up. There's no way she's like, well, I hope she has fun. I'll hit the hay. It's like, no. Talk to her in the morning. Yeah, no. We spy Nina and Lily through mirrors, the women momentarily connected, as Erica asks her daughter where she's been. This moment is so fleeting in this mirror, but I just love how much of the story is told through the cinematography. Yeah.
But Nina smiles that she's been to the moon, and with Lily's words in her mouth, she adds in unison, and back. looked very eerie and very fucking cool. Yeah. Erica realizes that Nina has been drinking, and Nina sounds the buzzer to let her mother know that she's correct. But Erica demands to know what else she's been doing. And Nina understands. Oh, you want to know their names?
Disgusted, Erica seizes Nina's shoulder, telling her that she needs to sleep this off, and she tries to lead her to her bedroom. But Nina pulls away, laughing that there were two. There was Tom and there was Jerry. But Erica doesn't want to hear it. Ordering her daughter to be quiet. making like an oops face as she reveals, and I fucked them both. The way she delivers this line was hilarious. I cracked up laughing because none of this is true. No. She is just.
trying to hurt Erica. Yeah. And it's like, Oh no. My bad. Erica slams her hand over her daughter's mouth, screaming for her to shut it. But Nina breaks away from her, rushing over to Lily and leading her down the hall to her bedroom. Once they reach it, they slam the door behind them.
Nina props up the plank of wood that she found by the trash compactor, leaving Erica unable to enter the room. As Erica calls out to her through the door, Nina informs her mother that it's called privacy and that she isn't 12 anymore. Lily smirks devilishly over her shoulder, but Erica still attempts to force her way in, crying that she isn't her Nina right now. But Nina just slams the door, demanding her mother to leave her alone.
But she then spies Lily across from her, standing at the edge of her bed, and she closes the gap between them with a passionate kiss. The pair undress each other clumsily, swirling around each other as Lily plants Nina onto her bed. The music plods in the score as Lily takes her place between Nina's legs, peeling off her underwear and tossing them aside.
They kiss deeply and Lily starts to kiss her way down Nina's body. Nina seems confused for a moment as Lily squeezes her breasts and continues kissing down her stomach until she finds herself between Nina's legs. Nina loses herself in the pleasure of Lily's licks and kisses, but the score rises dramatically as she looks down at her lover, discovering her own face looking up at her. I think she's starting to suspect something. Who? You. Me? Yeah. She's like, I'm really good at, what the hell?
But Nina jumps back startled, and when she looks back, she sees that it's Lily there. Lily calms her down with a few sweet kisses before returning down below, and we watch as Lily's winged tattoo on her back begins to expand, stretching and flowing across her shoulder blades. But Lily really goes after it. And Nina moans loudly. But with each passionate exhale and sound, her skin pulses with small bumps. Her thighs, her breath.
her shoulders, her neck. And she lies there, catching her breath after reaching the peak of her pleasure. But Lily sits up smirking, brushing the hair out of her face and wiping her mouth. She then looks down at Nina, muttering, Sweet girl. Well, don't say that. No. But I'm like, did her mom drop dead on the other side of the door? It's like, oh, privacy you've said. Good night.
But Nina's face fills with fear as she looks up at Lily, only to see herself looking back at her. Her doppelganger slams a pillow down on her face, and we cut to black. But that next morning, we pan across Nina's body from her feet to her face as she lies upside down in her bed. She wakes up, clutching her head from a terrible ache, and as she collects herself, she turns to look at the clock on her nightstand. A wave of energy finds her when she sees that it's 11.35.
She gasps, rushing to get dressed as fast as she can, puzzled to not only be waking up alone, but to find that the plank of wood she used to bar the door is now just resting on the floor. too far from the door to serve its intended purpose. She tosses on a sweater and marches her way toward the front door, and as she puts on her pink coat and peers into the living room, she finds Erica sitting there, despondent and looking away.
She demands to know why her mother didn't wake her up, but Erica doesn't answer. And instead, Nina unlocks the door furiously, declaring that she's moving out. I think that's for the best. Yeah. But Nina makes her way to the Lincoln Center, climbing the steps up from the dressing rooms, and she hears music emanating from the nearby stage. Music she recognizes as her music.
I will say that is also very interesting that she isn't like, this is the music from the scene. This is this. She's like, that's my music. Yeah. But when she enters through the wings, she finds dancers gathered to watch Lily dancing the part of the Swan Queen. Her arms flutter as she dances on point toward David, Thomas at the edge of the stage, analyzing her every move as a violin sings serenely in the background.
Nina heads straight to Tomá, apologizing to him for being late, and Tomá just instructs the dancers to continue and directs Nina to go get warmed up. The way that he treats her, I thought he was going to be like, Lily's got it. Don't worry about it.
when he said go get warmed up i was like okay he's he's pissed but like he didn't give the part away yeah she's like you know the black swan is late sometimes yeah you told me to embrace it this is black swan behavior yeah But after getting into her proper outfit, Nina watches from backstage as she does her bar work, practicing her plie and tendu.
seething at Lily's every graceful movement, filled with jealousy and worry as the moves flow so freely between Lily and David, culminating in a properly elegant pose. The other dancers applaud, and Tomá has to admit that it was good. Actually, very good. I said, not actually. Yeah. Because he's like, damn. Yeah. He looks over at Nina and shrugs. I don't know. You saw it. Gotta call it like I see it.
But Tomá calls for a 10-minute break, glancing back at Nina, and Lily rushes over to her, slick with sweat and removing her pancake skirt, assuring Nina that Tomá just wanted to go through the duet and asked her to step in. Nina tells Lily that she overslept, and Lily just laughs it off, retorting that at least Nina had a good time last night.
But Nina accuses Lily of putting something in her drink, which Lily cops to as this wasn't a secret. No. Yeah. But Nina wonders why Lily just took off in the morning. Lily has no idea what Nina is talking about, but Nina continues. Yeah, you slept over. Lily denies this, revealing that she spent the night with Tom. Nina mutters confused. But we... Lily is puzzled for a moment too, until she realizes exactly what happened. Nina fantasized about her.
As Nina grabs the skirt and storms off, Lily gasps mockingly, asking, yeah really actually you were seemingly so but oh my god this is so fucking embarrassing it's wild it's so embarrassing i Though, when they got back to the apartment, I knew that she wasn't there. No. In that moment of her speaking Lily's words. Yes. Very much.
in her mind that this was happening. And I feel like Erica would have been like, and you or something. But yeah, I was like, oh no, I don't think that this is really happening. Especially because Erica met Lily in the hall. Yeah. And again, I feel like I believe every single thing that Lily said. She was late. And so Toma asked me to step in. I just did it to step in for this short period of time. Yeah. I don't think that she's got anything nefarious going on at all.
But Nina finally returns to the stage, this time properly, and under gorgeous glass chandeliers and accompanied by an orchestra, Nina rehearses the exact same routine that she saw Lily dance moments earlier. Only this time, she discovers that she's barely keeping Thomas' attention, as he seems to be glancing over at Lily, who meets his gaze in seeming understanding.
It looks terrible. Yeah. Yeah. But I honestly don't know if this is even happening. Yeah. Yeah, that was kind of what I thought. I was like, is this real? It's it. Seems very paranoid. This could be the worst case right now. And it's possible that they just looked at each other and Nina read it. That's how she's taking it. But after the rehearsal, Nina returns home, retiring to the restroom, flipping the lid open frantically to retch over the water to no result.
As she turns to exit, removing the laundry hamper blocking the door, she overhears an echo of laughter surrounding her But Nina leaves, going straight for her bedroom, where she sets her music box on her nightstand, its twinkling melody keeping her company as she rests in her bed.
But after a moment, she turns around, swiping angrily at the music box, sending it to the floor in a clatter She leaps from her bed, deciding to gather all of her stuffed animals that line the room, carrying them clumsily in her arms to the trash compactor outside of her apartment and forcing them inside.
total transformation of innocence and youth and yeah i mean come on throwing away these like symbols of of girlhood in childhood i will say somebody pointed out online that the only stuffed animal that does not make it into the trash compactor is that black swan But we return to the auditorium of the theater in a wide shot, a full orchestra occupying the pit, the stage decorated with banners painted as trees.
an elaborate sculpture occupying center stage and the margins filled with stage hands and staff. I did want to talk about the production design once again, because we do see like the makings of what this stage will become later. Yeah. But I was very intrigued to find out that Teresa Dupre, the production designer. She said that this was the starting point for the entire film was this set for what would be the performance of Swan Lake.
Oh, and she said that she and Darren Aronofsky worked it out at the beginning and she had been given basically every single incarnation of Swan Lake that has ever existed. to pay homage but to not copy right okay and so to form her own original idea about it she said that she stepped away from her computer of all this information and she communed with nature basically she started to recognize and realize that the palette of Black Swan was nature.
And this is where she got the ideas for the colors. This is also where she got the idea of these trees as this banner. But very interestingly, she hid pieces of this set for Swan Lake. in every single location that we see throughout the film. Oh, wow. And so there are pieces of this kind of imagery in Tomá's office. in Nina and Erica's apartment, in the club, like everywhere there is something from this ballet in the set design.
Wow. I love that. And it's like what we were talking about with the score about this performance, this being just a cloud hanging over the entire film. Yeah. But Nina dances at the center as she's soon surrounded by a sea of ballerinas fluttering their arms like wings. Thomas announces, the final act, your final dance. You've tasted your dream, touched it, only to have it crushed.
David joins Nina, twirling and embracing her, before she breaks away to be taken in the arms of Sergio. Tomah continuing that her heart is broken, wounded, her life force fading. David returns, lifting her off her feet as the camera circles around her, and he guides her back to center stage. Tomah directs as the music builds dramatically. The blood drips. The black swans stole your love. And there's only one way to end the pain.
Nina parts through the sea of dancers, climbing the smooth ramp at the center of the sculpture. Tomá instructs Nina, You're not fearful, but filled with acceptance. Nina flutters her wings, tragically looking down at Sergio, her Rothbart, and David, her prince. reaching out to them in futility before looking out to the audience at Thomas' direction. As the music swells, he tells her to jump.
Nina looks down, just off the side of the sculpture, where a mattress waits to break her fall. Thomas assures her that she'll be fine, and Nina takes the plunge, and as soon as she hits the mattress, the music ceases. Tomah excuses the dancers for a drink of water and a break, and to return in just a little while to receive his notes. As they disperse, Tomah glances over at Nina, offering her an approving thumbs up.
this entire scene it's like why can't you have been directing like that yeah like where the fuck were you yeah But backstage, Nina is measured by Georgina, a costumer played by Marcia Jean Kurtz. She places her measuring tape around Nina's waist, noting that she's lost weight, before asking her to take off her shrug. Nina stands between a pair of mirrors which seem to cast her reflection one after another after another into infinity.
As she removes her shrug, and after Georgina gets her measurement, the camera switches sides over Nina's shoulders. She hears an eerie breath and an incessant scratching sound. And as she leans over, she discovers to her horror that her nearest reflection is digging her nails into the abrasion at her shoulder, delivering a satisfying scratch. The reflection turns to meet her gaze, causing Nina to gasp in fright.
I really like this. Yes. That looks really cool. Yeah. Again, I'm just so impressed by how they're pulling off these mirror moments. Yeah. And like I said at the beginning where Aronofsky really tried to stay away from cliches. This isn't something I've seen before. No. But her glassy eyes stare forward into the mirror, peering backward at the reflections behind her, as Georgina directs her to face forward to continue her measurement.
A piano plays pensively in the score as Nina attempts to collect herself, but before she can, she and Georgina are interrupted by an arriving Lily. Lily introduces herself and says that Tomas sent her over, and Georgina already knows why. They have to get Lily measured for her swan queen costume. Furious, Nina charges over to them, demanding to know what Lily is doing here. It's like, were you not listening? After a moment of hesitation, Lily explains. Tomah made her Nina's alternate.
Which again is very interesting wording. Yeah. True. But as Nina storms off, Lily tries to soothe her worries, telling her that it's just in case. But Nina marches through the halls, finding Tomá on the landing of a staircase. He's in the middle of a conversation with the stage manager, played by Sean O'Hagan. But Nina is tearful, interrupting and repeating to Tomá that it can't be her.
Tomah excuses the stage manager to talk to Nina privately. And wounded, Nina asks why he made her her alternate. Thomas puts it simply, there's always an alternate, and Lily was the best choice. See, that's what I was confused. Because like... I don't know. I don't know really anything about dance companies or anything like that, but in theater and understudy is extremely common. Like it's expected.
So the fact and the way that she's been standing in for Nina and stuff, I think it would be a logical conclusion that it would be Lily. The way that she took this was so. and she just looks really paranoid. Yeah. I think that if it were anyone else, I don't think she'd be reacting this way. But I think that it is just because of the way that she's perceived Lily to be kind of trying to worm in on everything.
Are you still thinking about those maggots? Yeah, it doesn't matter. I really miss those maggots. They should have been there. Should have been there. But it's not important. Somebody will hire them. Yes. I hope so. Give them some work. They'll get work. But Nina doesn't think Thomas understands. Lily wants her role. Tomas scoffs. Every dancer in the world wants Nina's role.
But Nina cries that this is different. Lily is after her. She begs for Thomas to believe her. But he just beckons her closer, sensitively holding her shoulders. He says that he understands that this has been a struggle for her, but he smiles that she had a real breakthrough this morning. He promises that tomorrow is her. and he implores her to give a great performance. He says that if she does, she won't have to worry about Lily or anybody else.
He holds her face in his hands, urging her to go home and rest before he descends the steps.
I feel like this is your doing, Toma. Yeah. You were trying to pit her specifically against Lily with what you were telling her while she was watching Lily dance. And then you made Lily... dance the duet with david when you knew that nina was gonna arrive and see it yeah and then you said that her dancing was fucking fantastic yeah in front of nina and then you even gave nina that look maybe Well, and when they were watching her way earlier, he was like...
that yeah yeah she's free or whatever it's like and she's not faking it yeah that it's like wow man wait well what happened to the other girl that he told her before was gonna get the part that she told congratulations Dude, I guess. That's wild, right? But Nina doesn't go home to rest, and instead she returns to the principal studio, directing the piano player to once again play From the Vision.
The pianist sighs before launching into the number, and Nina, drenched in sweat, dances her steps gracefully until the music suddenly stops. Nina asks the piano player what happened, but as he gathers his sheet music, he tells her plainly, I have a life. As he exits the studio, he tells Nina not to work too hard, as it's her big day tomorrow. But Nina, surrounded by mirrors, continues her private rehearsal, dancing on point, her arms a rhythmic wave as she turns and turns.
But on her final revolution, she notices that her reflection's timing is off. Just barely. She flutters her arms once more, but her reflection stays frozen in front of her. Nina gasps, backing away from this mirror and toward another, where this reflection suddenly turns to face her. and as soon as its sinister eyes gazed at the back of Nina's head, the studio lights shut off.
Please no. Well, as soon as the piano player left, I was like, it's time for you to leave too. Right. Please don't stay in here alone. I did want to point out I saw how this was achieved on the featurette. Okay. They literally had the camera in front of Natalie Portman. They did what they called the hero plate where they showed her looking around fearful.
And her reflection, of course, matches hers because those are the laws of mirrors. Right. But they did a second shot where they did what they called the reflection element where they had her looking menacing. and turning from the mirror to face forward. In visual effects, all they did was they spliced it together. And so you have it to where her reflection doesn't match.
And also, you notice the shot is very close, almost head on. Yeah. The camera operators were removed digitally as well. That is so cool. But Nina gasps, calling out to the control room to turn the lights back on. She exits toward the stage, and with a frightful sting in the score, a large figure darts through the wings of the curtains, a hunched-over shadow. Nina continues toward the stage, much braver than I am. Yeah. Calling out for an answer.
But when she reaches the stage, we find her in a wide shot, a single source of light shining brightly at the stage's center, laughter echoing around her and growing louder. Nina crosses the stage, and there, behind the curtains, she finds Toma and Lily, frantic and passionate, in a state of undress as they kiss and clatter against an equipment cape. Thoma growls as he paws at Lily, the pair moaning and grunting as Nina stands betrayed in the wings.
But when we return to the passionate pair, we discover that it is Nina under Tomá's body. And we watch as Tomá transforms into Rothbart, black feathers at his shoulders. His eyes hollow circles within his dark painted face and his nose sharpened to a beat. ... ... ... ... ... and she rushes out of the Lincoln Center and outside, on the exterior wall. She finds that the posters that once filled the frames have now been replaced, and she stares at her own image.
of herself as the Swan Queen, the posters broadcasting Swan Lake, The New Take, with choreography by Thomas Leroy, February 12th. Nina continues onward, piano growing pensive around her as sirens wail in the distance. And this was the exact thing that was written on the poster, basically, when Beth was on it. Right. So I'm wondering, do we think that something might have happened between Nina and Tomah based on what she just saw and the fact that he is treating her very...
Like he's a lot kinder now. Yeah. And maybe he is softening up because it's almost showtime. But it's like this was. Very interesting imagery. Right, right. Oh, backstage? Yes. See, I thought the reason she was seeing it is because everybody says this about has been... putting this and he he's not great but they do keep saying this about him so the worry immediately would jump to that i thought personally like it was uh manifestation of the ballet itself.
With what he had said earlier about the prince being seduced by the black swan and the white swan feeling betrayed and tricked. Okay. Yeah. It's just her turning into her. That's giving me pause. Well, maybe because she that's the side of her that she still is trying to find. Right. Yeah. Okay. But Nina finds herself once again at the hospital, making her way to Beth's room, where she sits in a wheelchair at a table facing away from the door.
Nina approaches her, placing a folded and handwritten letter down onto the table, along with several items that she pilfered from her. a pair of earrings. I was like, God damn. I didn't realize. yeah she took a bunch of shit it's crazy and that those uh presumably are the earrings that erica saw her wearing yeah i was like what the fuck dude But as she sets down the last item, Beth seizes Nina by the wrist to her startled surprise.
She asks what Nina is doing here, and Nina can only burst into tears, apologizing. She says that she knows how it feels now. She's trying to replace her. She cries, begging Beth to tell her what to do. But Beth looks down at the table in front of her, shock registering as she asks. You stole my things? You went through our things? I was waiting on it. Nina admits that she did, but that she just wanted to be perfect like Beth. Beth breathes sharply through her nose as she repeats.
She tells Nina that she isn't perfect, but she grabs the nail file, holding it in her hands as she whispers, I'm nothing. She cries, I'm nothing, as she plunges the blade of the file into her cheek, and again into her face, and once more into her neck. Nina's eyes widen in horror as she reaches for Beth.
only for Beth to snarl and nip at her arm. But when she pulls herself away from Nina's sleeve, Nina sees herself sitting in Beth's chair, continuing to stab at the flesh of her face as she repeats, Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! Blood pours from her fresh wounds as Nina runs out of the room, racing for the elevator as dramatic music rises. She reaches her hand for the elevator buttons, not only discovering that her hand is covered in blood, but that she is clutching the nail file.
She lets go of it and the sharp, bloody instrument clatters to the floor. This took such a turn. Yeah. It was horrific. I saw on that thing that they used a retractable prop for the nail file and just digitally made it a nail file. Oh, wow. Which is really great. But I am thinking at this point. Book of Shadows, Blair Witch 2. Right, yeah.
i'm like what did she just go in there and do yeah i was petrified and i was really sad to see it because i was like this should not be the fucking end for beth no it shouldn't but as it continues I definitely have some thoughts and I feel like it is not anything that happened at all. Right. Okay. And I feel like part of it. is maybe the manifestation of Nina's guilt for taking Beth's place. Maybe she feels like she is killing Beth.
She does what we see. But then she also sees herself because she sees that she is Beth. And she is waiting to become Beth with the way that Thomas is. Right. And so I feel like that's what maybe some of the surreal... imagery that we see here of her stabbing herself and then stabbing herself right and it's just i feel like it's very interesting and the fact that it ends with her dropping the nail file yeah she feels like she's responsible for all of this
Okay. I thought she just fucking stabbed the shit out of her. I did too at first. But as things kind of unfold, I'm like, oh, I don't. I don't think so. And the fact that nobody bursts into anywhere and is like, Beth was stabbed to death. In the fucking hospital, dude. And everybody break a leg. The show must go on in Beth's memory. So that's why I was like, I don't know that any of this. Yeah, it's just shit's going on. And then that happens. And I'm like, oh.
So that happened. Yeah, I think that that's what I really love in books and in film about being in the point of view of an unreliable narrator because it is a constant. Did that, was that like something that happened and you saw it differently? Was that something that actually happened or was that completely fabricated? Yeah. I love that.
But Nina returns home, ignoring the sounds of her mother's sobs that echo through the apartment and heading straight for the kitchen sink to wash her hands. She peers around nervously as she exits the kitchen, shutting off the light. I think it would have been maybe, I don't know, maybe it would have tipped the hand too much, no pun intended, if we saw a shot into the sink and her hands weren't covered in blood. Okay. But her own voice whispers from the shadows, Sweet girl.
Nina rushes back to the kitchen to switch on the light, and at the far corner of the room, Nina sees herself donning Beth's hospital gown and sweater, covered in blood and smiling sinisterly at her. Nina screams, running straight for the restroom where she collapses to the floor to vomit into the toilet. She catches her breath, collecting herself and reaching her feet, but the sounds of distorted sobs echo through the hall, prompting Nina to call out fearfully, Mommy?
Nina enters her mother's bedroom switching on the light, illuminating the portraits that line her walls, each painting and photograph becoming animated. springing to haunted life, their mouths wrenched open, their eyes weeping, their features disfigured, and their voices growing cacophonous as they taunt her. Sweet girl. Sweet girl. Sweet girl. Nina shields her ears from the voices, screaming for them to stop as she charges for the wall, tearing them from it as they continue to shriek.
But through the mirror, Nina finds the bloodied version of herself waiting in the hall. But when she turns around to face her, she discovers that it's her mother. Confused, Erica asks her daughter what she's doing. But Nina retreats to her room without an answer, slamming the door and placing the plank of wood onto the floor to block Erica's entry. I mean, it did look bad. Yeah. I worked really hard on those. Yes! Say what you will about me. Believe my art. And again, I...
Perfect blue. Yes. The virtual Mima in Mr. Mimania's little lair. Yeah. But as Nina turns to stand up, something crunches sharply in her back. Erica cries to be let inside, but Nina screams for her to go away as she makes her way over to her mirror. She tears off her sweater, inspecting the rash at her back, and she watches as it undulates beneath her skin, cracking and pulsating the raised flesh that she finds there.
Her eyes now a weary red, Nina watches in horror as tiny black quills poke through her skin, and she reaches for them in disbelief, tearing one free, only to discover... that it's a small feather. She stares at it fearfully, struggling to understand what's happening to her. But before she can, Erica bursts into her room, shattering the wooden plank. Nina rushes for the door, the music pulsing dramatically as she screams for her mother to get out.
Erica just repeats, you see? You see? But Nina forces her out, slamming the door on her fingers when she refuses to leave. The door finally shuts and Erica retreats, screaming wildly into the hall. She did fuck her fingers. Yeah, she did. Erica should have given up sooner, though. Yeah, dude, just leave her the fuck alone. But Nina backs away from the door, a slithering whisper emanating beneath her as she stands puzzled next to her destroyed music box.
Nina's legs snap, her knees bending backwards. and orchestral strings accompanying her shifting bones as she crumbles to the floor, whacking her head on her bed frame on the way down and knocking herself unconscious. We cut to black. Hitting her head was insult to injury. Yeah. I loved every single bit of this. It was interesting to me, this imagery of this wing coming out of the spot in her back that she's been.
scratching at yeah because it's like this was in her all along she's been scratching to get it out and her mom keeps stopping her cutting her nails put on a shrug hide it blah blah blah yeah that it's just it i feel like it says a lot okay and the legs bending backwards they were just
like disembodied like they were fake legs and somebody was holding each of them on a stick and they just bent it back oh wow you put it all together and it is a woman turning into a swan yeah and i just thought that was so cool because it's so simple yeah i thought that looked it did look really cool that was not not funny but it was like oh my god we're really like holy shit dude
I did want to talk a little bit about the body horror aspect of this. There were a few things that Aronofsky had said about... this element of the film being born simply out of Swan Lake itself. Okay. Because it incorporates a part of the story where it's described that the Swan Queen is a swan by day and a swan-like woman by night.
And so it put him in the mind of a werewolf movie. Right. And metamorphosis. And he was thinking about how you tangle all these elements of sexuality, maturity, becoming an artist. And he even was inspired by Cronenberg, he said. But he said that when you put all of that together with Nina and her psyche, he said there's no way to escape turning this into a body horror film. Yeah. Okay.
And there was also a quote that Jules shared with me from Irina Dimitrescu, who is an essayist and a professor. And she was talking about ballet in general. And she said, ballet, like opera, is wonderful because it is monstrous. The hyper-development of skills nobody needs. A twisting of human bodies and souls into impossible positions. The purchase of light with blood.
And when you think of it that way, you're like body horror is seemingly inherent in the field of ballet. If you look at it like that. Damn. Okay. Well, we've been shown examples of this, like with her foot, with her. being manipulated by the physical therapist because she's hurt yeah like that's a very interesting way to look at it yeah But when we return, we watch as the broken ballerina from Nina's music box spins solemnly to a twinkling tune from Swan Lake.
Erica sits in a chair at her daughter's bedside, and when Nina stirs awake, she rushes over to her. When Nina notices that there are socks pulled over her hands, Erica tells her that she was scratching all night. Nina just tears them off, sitting up and looking for the clock that used to be on her nightstand. But Erica says that she shouldn't worry about that, only shushing Nina when she asks what time it is. I would have a fucking panic attack. Nina reminds her mother that her show is tonight.
But Erica pushes her back onto her pillow, revealing that she called the theater and told them that Nina wasn't feeling well. Are you out of your fucking mind? Yeah. And I feel like this is, first of all, Nina is not feeling well. I think that's the thing. It's like the worst person you know has made a good point. I have to give her that. But part of me can't help but wonder, is this what you wanted all along? Yeah. Because it feels like it.
Nina can't believe what she's hearing, launching out of her blankets and pushing past her mother to head for her closed bedroom door, only to discover that there is no knob. Nina demands to know where it is, but Erica insists that they're both staying here until Nina feels better. She sits back down in her chair as Nina's eyes scan the room. Erica bemoans that this role is destroying Nina. But Nina charges her mother, seizing her by the shoulders and ordering her to move. Erica cries mournfully.
What happened to my sweet girl? And Nina answers. She's gone. As she wrenches her mother's bandaged hand backwards, and Erica tumbles to the floor from her seat, howling. Is she Mike Flanagan? She's coming after her hand hard, dude. But underneath the cushion of the chair, Nina finds the knob and she forces it into its slot. She pulls away from Erica, who reaches for her legs from the floor. Nina then tears the door open as Erica cries that Nina isn't well and that she can't handle this.
But Nina reminds her mother, I'm the Swan Queen. You're the one who never left the core. Damn. That's what you were saying the other night. She did eat with that. But Erica just cries out to her daughter from the floor. We then find Nina marching through the evening light, past the fountain and the plaza, and into the Lincoln Center, through the crowded halls of staff and dancers being fitted for their ornate costumes.
I do want to talk about the costumes for just a moment. I saw the costume designer, Amy Westcott. She did work on The Wrestler with Aronofsky. She also did The Menu. The menu. Yeah. She did Nightcrawler. Okay. And the Fallout TV series. Oh, very nice. But she spoke on this featurette a lot about the work that she did for Nina's wardrobe in particular.
The way that we move through the color palette from that bright pink to these darker grays and black and it's manifesting her change of character. Yeah. But. As seems to be customary with this film, there was a little controversy regarding the costumes. I did see a little about that. So Amy Westcott in the production collaborated with Rodarte, which is a fashion label that was started by sisters Kate and Laura Malevy. According to Forbes.
The Malevy sisters were not members of the Costume Designers Guild, which made their work ineligible for Academy recognition. Hmm. This sparked this massive wave of defense of these sisters. in the fashion industry, and a lot of things were written about them. And things were very much all over the place. Because depending on what you read from the fashion industry, they said that the Malevy sisters designed... seven costumes, they designed 20 costumes, or they designed the entire ballet.
I feel like this is very similar to what we were talking about earlier. Yeah. And so Amy Westcott, the costume designer came out and she downplayed that involvement because she also did a lot of work on this film. And so it became this thing of like, you know, who did what. It was a big deal and all for not because the film doesn't even get nominated for best costume at the Oscars.
So it's, again, it's just a shame because you see that very amazing work went into this. Yeah. And you, again, want to kind of just focus on that. But then you're like, oh, and then there's this argument behind the scenes. Yeah. Yeah, I read that it was pretty contentious. Like it.
bad blood it seems like from what i read and again this is not a new film so maybe everybody's friends now i hope i can't keep doing this But at the end of the corridor, in front of the principal dressing room, Nina sees Tomá talking to Lily, her face made up for the performance, but standing in casual clothes. Lily snarls. What are you doing here? She's supposed to be sick.
Thomas just asks for a minute and follows Nina into the dressing room. She sits in front of the vanity, preparing her makeup for the performance, seated between a pair of butts. one wearing a headpiece for the white swan and the other with the black swan's crown adorning its top. Very cool to see her planted between the two. Yeah.
But Nina brushes a sponge across her forehead and cheek, smearing a pale foundation across her skin, and assuring Tomá that she's alright when he asks her. But Tomá breaks the news to Nina that he's already asked Lily to do the performance. Nina then asks if he's officially announced it, and when he doesn't answer, Nina adds, After Beth, do you really need another controversy? Okay, okay. I was like, go Nina. Yeah, that's black swan behavior. Yeah.
Thomas seems to smirk, impressed as Nina tells him firmly that she's here and she's doing it. Thomas accepts this, leaning over Nina's shoulder as she continues applying her makeup. He advises her that the only person standing in her way is her, and it's time to let her go. He orders Nina to lose herself. Nina nods as Tama exits the dressing room. She then stands, applying the white makeup to her shoulder, which is now riddled with bumps.
She stares at it, but is interrupted by Sebastian, the stage manager, who calls out, White Swan, entrance in 10. Dude, she barely made the buzzer. Yeah. This happens more than once where he's like, all right, five minutes or whatever. And I'm like, we are nowhere near right now. And again, if I'm Lily, I'm pissed too. Oh, yeah. You're all ready to go. But Nina returns to her seat, removing her right shoe, but she finds that her big toe and pinky toe are slightly adhered to their neighbors.
Puzzled she peels them apart. But when she removes her left shoe, she discovers that her toes are completely fused together, each toe indiscernible from the last, a webbing of flesh connecting them into one palmated pad. Well, that's concerning. Yeah. We can deal with that later. The performance in my health. Yeah. Yeah. And that's basically what she does. We don't have time for this right now. We got to get ready and go. It's called compartmentalization.
She shudders and panting. She just forces her stocking over it and dresses in her bright costume as the white swan. She wanders through the corridor, her headpiece glittering as she makes her way to the wings, watching as David, as her prince, dances gallantly into the spotlight. Nina peers through a hatch in the curtain and discovers that the auditorium is filled with well-dressed patrons from the front row to the rear of the house.
Sebastian approaches her, redirecting her to her proper entrance upstage, and as the music reaches a crescendo, Nina flutters her way onto the stage through the red glow of surrounding light. She leaps gracefully, the light cast against the banner trees, her frame carved out of the full beaming moon on the backdrop behind her. Nina emotes, exhaling sharply as her slippers glide across the stage, and she's joined by her prince, who follows her coyly.
Their dance becomes a courtship just as they rehearsed, and Nina dances on point to his intrigue and delight. We crossfade to later in the ballet when the prince guides the white swan through the aisle between the swan corps of dancers, passing the giant moon and ushering her off stage. But as they reach the wings, four more dancers join the Swan Corps, passing Nina, and as they do so cackling, each of them wears Nina's face.
And I think this is what Erica was saying earlier, the Pada Catra, if I'm saying that right at all. The four dancers, there they are. And Nina is all of them. Well, she was like, he'll probably let you do that. Yeah. But Nina turns around fearfully, watching as they take their place upstage, dancing at the center of the swaying swan core. And Nina realizes that they are all dancers that she knows and recognizes. They're no longer her.
As she collects herself, she spies Thomas on the opposite side of the stage, who gives her an approving nod. But as her eyes continue searching through the backstage area, she finds David approaching Lily, and the pair seem to be very comfortable with each other. Nina stands dismayed as she watches Lily reach her hand down and cup David's cross.
I'm like, dude, he cannot go out there like that. Yeah. Don't do that. Another thing as well is like, Nina, you know, he's not your prince, right? Yeah. Things are a little muddy right now. He's just David. I think it's just more paranoia. Yeah. Okay. Well, I'm dancing with him. But he's over there with her. What is she saying to him? You know what I mean? Okay, okay. It's, yeah. Because I was wondering too, I was like, is this real or is it not? Who the hell knows? I just leave it there.
But laughter echoes and an eerie sound abounds in the score as Nina rushes deeper backstage. From the dressing room exits Sergio, fully made up as Rothbart, appearing just as monstrous as he did when Nina saw him making it sweet with Lily. But instead of a snarl or a roar, Rothbart instead offers a polite, hey. He's just a dude. That was really cool. It's like, oh.
Members of the Swan Corps make their exit from the stage, passing Nina and admonishing their own performance, but Sebastian leads her to her mark. And surrounded by a semicircle of swancore dancers, Nina meets David at center stage, where he lifts her above her head, and she stretches out her leg in an arabesque pose to the applause of the audience. David twirls her around as a song very familiar to fans of the Universal Horror classics. Yes. Sings sweetly from the orchestra.
But among the Swan Corps, Nina notices Lily and Veronica. But in the bright beaming lights above her, she becomes disoriented, and through heavy sighs and distorted voices and laughter, she peers down again to find her own face staring back at her from the core. Startled, she jerks backward, causing David to lose his grip on her, and she falls out of his arms and right onto her knee at the center of the stage.
She lands with a thud, causing the audience to gasp, and David lifts her back to her feet, snapping. What the fuck? As they continue their dance, their movements return to proper form, intimate and iridescent, until the music sharply shifts, rising in drama as Sergio's Rothbart carves his way through the core. He reaches his hand out for Nina, who turns her back to the audience, dancing on point. But we see that Nina is crumbling to tears from her failure. I bet that hurt, though. Like, really.
He's holding her up. Oh. And she did wiggle a little bit. Yeah, she did. And I'm sure it hurt physically and her pride. Yes. Both. Yeah, well, she lands right on that knee. Yeah. And it's like, we're still... performing like get back yeah there's like two more acts yeah But backstage, the swan corps of dancers rush to Nina's side, their murmurs of sincere concern overlapping with each other, but she doesn't answer any of their questions.
David dances alone on stage, the red curtain falling in front of him to conclude the act. And as soon as it does, Tomas makes his presence known, demanding to know what the fuck happened. David's storming offstage as Nina rushes to approach Thomas, insisting that it wasn't her fault, and she puts the blame squarely on David's shoulders, shouting that he dropped her.
he did drop you but why yeah yeah that wasn't his fault no and i understand you know if i saw my face down there i freaked out too and she has this narrative in her head of like them conspiring over there with the crotch grabbing and whatnot. So yeah, it's easy for her to reframe it that way. But even he was like, what the fuck? Yeah. But Tamar just curses. It's a fucking disaster.
Nina sobs her way through the halls and back to her dressing room, closing the door behind her. But from the vanity, Lily croaks. Nina gasps, and reflected in the mirror, we see that Lily is not only wearing Nina's Black Swan costume, but she's applying her makeup for the role as well. Lily remarks that it must have been pretty humiliating.
But Nina orders her to get out of her dressing room, and Lily feigns concern, telling Nina that she's just so worried about the next act, and she's not sure that Nina's up to it. How about I dance the black swan for you? She's like, just spitball in here. I'm already wearing the costume. But as Lily stands from her seat and turns to face Nina, Nina comes face to face with herself.
She shudders before summoning her strength and seizing her counterpart by the shoulders, slamming her into a nearby mirror. She screams, leave me alone, as her double tumbles to the floor upon a bed of shattered glass. The doppelganger returns to life with renewed vigor, clenching her hands around Nina's throat, choking the life out of her and seething. It's my turn. My turn. Nina's neck suddenly grows longer, stretching upward and covered in prickly bumps.
as her hand blindly seizes a sharp shard of glass from the floor. She stabs it defensively into the doppelganger's stomach, twisting it as her eyes burn a bright red, and she snarls. It's my turn! But it's not herself that she finds at the end of her brittle blade, but Lily, with blood pouring from her lips as the jagged piece of glass snaps off in her stomach. Nina recoils in horror, breathing ragged and fearful as Lily's life slips away and she collapses to the floor, dead.
This is a lot. Yeah. Yeah, I was not expecting this. No. And that neck is just a prosthetic, a long prosthetic neck that they're just choking. Oh, wow. Yeah, nothing was. It was just fake. Yeah. But yeah, this is this is incredible. The back and forth between it being her or Lily, then her, then Lily again. And just the sobering moment of what the fuck did you just do? Yeah.
And everything is happening so fast, you don't even take the time to think, how did Lily get back here so fast? How did Lily change into the Black Swan costume? None of that even registers. You are a part of what Nina is thinking. Yes. But Nina can barely tremble a cry as Sebastian suddenly pounds on the door, alerting her. Black Swan places in five. I'm not making that.
With no other option, Nina drags Lily's body over to the showers at the opposite side of the room, the broken glass scraping against her back as Nina stands against a brick wall, collecting herself and catching her breath. As fanfare sounds on the stage, Nina's eyes stare forward, certain, and centered.
But we return to the stage, where ornate dividers are pulled away to reveal Nina in her dark gown as the black swan, her jeweled crown resting firmly on her head and her eyes stern with winged makeup. Sergio dances at her side, his face bearing a thick layer of stage makeup and no longer appearing as monstrous as he did before. They dance closely, a whoosh of wind sounding at every flutter of her wings. The camera follows her every movement, her red eyes widening as she stares down lens at us.
Captivated, David's prince attempts to win her affections, but the black swan glides offstage to the applause of the audience as the prince leaps towards her to follow. David congratulates Nina once they reach the wings, but Nina is in a world wholly her own, breathing and gasping and moaning beneath a mesh mask that covers her face. She removes it, stalking the backstage area, and with every breath, her skin grows prickly, each mark a slithering pulse in the score.
She watches as they cover her shoulders and spread down her arms, mixing with the black paint that covers the back of her hands and flowing like a wave to her other arm, each bump sprouting a small black feather to Nina's unbridled delight. She returns to the stage, diving into a chain of turns, one after the other as the music rises around her, each turn, her feathers growing thicker, covering her arm, her shoulders, and her chest.
spreading all over her body until she reaches center stage, the lights beaming brightly as her beautiful black wings encase her. She unveils herself as the orchestra strikes their final chords, and she poses proudly to the applause of the audience, her head arched back and her wings pointed backward in all their glory. We see Nina, who appears completely normal in her black costume, but her shadow cast against the backdrop by the hanging chandeliers echoes her true transformation.
her dark wings fluttering against the wall as she soaks up her standing ovation as the black swan. So she definitely lost herself. Yes. In the music, the moment. She owned it. Calm down. Talk about an Oscar winner. All of what I said is true. This is fucking... stunning that shot of her with her shadow having those wings yeah beautiful I saw on that um Featurette that they really debated for a very long time. How much Swan.
They were going to go. Oh, like she was going to have a swan head. She was going to fully transform. Her legs were going to change. But then they finally decided. The importance of this is Nina melding with this idea of the black swan. Right. So they really wanted her face and her body essentially to be intact and just really have these. huge, beautiful black wings. I think that was the move.
I feel like it worked perfectly because you've been setting it up this entire time through this body horror element of her plucking these feathers from her back. This is the payoff that you've kind of been waiting for. Yeah. And this looked really cool. Yes. Her, the more she was spinning and the more feathers. Like it did. It was a really, really cool visual of seeing that. And the pose itself. Yeah. It's just fantastic.
Something else that I saw on a featurette is that when she's doing this pose, There is no audience. It's just a giant green screen. Oh, wow. And so this, her in front of the audience with the lights beaming at her, that again is a composite shot of digital work. Wow. Movie magic. Yeah. But Nina exits the stage, against Tomás' protests, who tells her that the audience wants her back out there. But Nina shuts him up with a passionate kiss, standing on point to reach his lips.
The score sings brilliantly and romantically as Nina returns to the stage and Tomás stands shocked, laughing even, as the audience tosses bouquets of red roses at Nina's feet. But Nina departs from the stage, heading downstairs past the ascending swan core to return to her dressing room. On the way, she passes Sebastian, who congratulates her for a job well done and reminds her that the last act will begin in 15 minutes.
But once she gets back to the principal dressing room, she discovers a pool of blood leaking under the closed door of the shower where she hid Lily's body. She promptly grabs a pink towel from a high shelf and covers the crimson liquid. Compartmentalization. Yeah. Just get past it. Nina returns to the vanity, removing her black swan makeup and transforming herself once again into the white swan. But as she dots the sponge across her face, there's suddenly a knock at the door.
Nina rushes to answer it, and once she does, all she can do is gasp. She sees, outside in the hall, dressed as a member of the Swan Corps. Is Lily. You're dead. Yeah. Didn't I stab you? Yeah. One act ago. She tells Nina that she was amazing, and she acknowledges that things got a little messed up between them recently, but holy shit. She tells Nina that she blew her away. Nina just stands speechless, but Lily bids her a polite goodbye, leaving her to finish getting ready for the final act.
Nina closes the door behind her, her eyes tracing around the room, the shattered mirror, the pink towel folded in front of the shower door. She rushes for the towel, and when she picks it up, she finds nothing underneath it. Tossing it aside, Nina stands puzzled in the middle of her dressing room, her eyes searching for an answer, until she finds it. With an orchestral flourish in the score, we find the wide-open wound at the center of her stomach, embruing her pristine white swan costume, red.
Tears streaming down her face, she reaches into the wound with her fingers, pinching a thick layer of mirror glass and plucking it from her flayed flesh. The score rises dramatically as Nina crumbles to tears, but urges herself onward, back to the vanity. She sobs momentarily, but she steals herself as she continues applying her pale makeup. She catches her breath.
show must go on yeah i guess this is like in cartoons when they run off a cliff and they're running in the air and then they realize that they've left the cliff and then they fall yeah you just did that whole performance with glass in your belly and you fucking killed it yeah Red and brewing the... white swan costume it's kind of like once you cross that threshold
and leave your childhood behind, your innocence behind, and you transgress into that next level of life, there is no going back. Even when- you try or even when you can to a certain extent it's not the same it's just not and I think that her finally Finding this within herself and reaching this black swan peak. It's like, yeah, that's over now like that. It's done. Yeah. Yeah. Like she soiled her innocence. Yeah. I mean, it's not white. It's not. You know what I mean?
I feel like as well, just as far as like a narrative standpoint. I think that it all works so well and it is just kind of a mind fuck to really think back and consider how that scene actually went in the dressing room. Yeah. Nina is wearing her white swan costume. She basically fights with herself, stabs herself in the stomach, switches costumes to the Black Swan.
fully takes on this persona and there's no way to see it because there's no hole in the black swan costume yeah there's no blood that's leaking through and if there is it's a black costume and you can't see it yeah and so when she returns and she changes back Everything comes to full understanding.
I remember being so blown away in the theater the first time I saw this. Yeah. And I didn't even know what to think. I think, honestly, it was like that thing where they say in Fight Club and they're like, ladies and gentlemen, we've just lost cabin pressure. Because I'm like, what the fuck? When she opened the door to Lily is when I was like, I don't know. It's that I don't know what I've just seen. I don't. And this is what leads me to believe that.
the situation with Beth probably didn't happen at all. No. Because it's like you're, we just saw evidence.
that these delusions these hallucinations they're not actually happening or at least not in the way that you think they are right and lily was never trying to take your spot right yeah even in this moment she's like look i know things got messed up but you're amazing yeah she's just a nice person But in her white swan costume, Nina returns to the stage as the music swells, each step certain, swift, serene, scintillating.
She glides through the Swan Corps, past her prince, and into the arms of Rothbart, who carries her fluttering to center stage. Surrounded by the swan corps who dance on point at the edge of the stage, Nina ascends the stone cliff upstage, dancing up the walkway to the top. She turns to face the stage once more, fluttering her wings in the bright sunlight of the backdrop behind her.
As blood begins to pool at her stomach, she lifts a mournful hand to bid farewell to Rothbart, to her prince, and as directed, she takes one last look into the audience. where at the center of the house sits Erica, tears streaming down her face. Nina gasps as she locks eyes with her mother one last time, her eyes welling with tears of her own.
I have to be honest the swelling of the music and the look on both of their faces I made me emotional yeah it's very intense it almost made me feel like her mom knew something was wrong Yeah. Like she was looking at her like.
something's something's matter the expression on her face is so difficult to read yeah because there is like concern there's awe there's like pride yeah but sorrow yeah But we follow the Swan Queen as she takes her final plunge, seemingly falling forever until she's caught by the silk sheets of a waiting mattress.
And this was the shot that was accomplished with the use of the dolly. They had Natalie Portman standing up and following on a track horizontally as the mattress was brought to her. That's wild. But Nina is swarmed by the Swan Corps, including Lily, who applaud her incredible performance, and Tomas shouts echo backstage, Bravo! They love you!
He rushes to Nina's side, climbing onto the mattress with her and caressing her face as he tells her, my little princess. I fucking knew it. I always knew you had it in you. He invites her to the stage to take her bow, but as he stands... Lily gasps at the sight of the wound at Nina's abdomen, blood gushing now, staining her entire waist, her skirt, and the silk sheets beneath her. She breathes raggedly, Tomá crying for someone to get Nina some help and asking her what she did to herself.
The music just climbs dramatically as Nina breathes. I felt it. Tomah doesn't understand, but Nina meets his eyes, telling him. Perfect. She turns away from him, gazing upward into the lights, which grow brighter around her as she smiles in finality. It was perfect. We dip to white as the applause in the orchestra reach a crescendo and the crowd chants Nina's name as the credits roll. So, what did you guys think of Black Swan?
This was a very interesting watch. I know that, like I said earlier, that I had seen it the once, but watching it for the show, there is a lot to take in here. And everything... Beautiful, beautiful. The choreography, the cinematography, the music, the everything about this. was really, really good. I will say in watching this, I did come to a conclusion, and I know I've said it before,
I think I just don't like psychological horror. I did enjoy this. And for everything, there is not one bad thing I can say about this movie. But to me, even towards the end, I was just like, huh. Oh, right. Not in a bad way, but in a, like, when's the head getting cut off way. Like, I mean, but everything here.
You can tell the care that went into this movie. Yeah. The practice, the love, the everything. That's what I'm saying. There's nothing other than it just not being in my bag that I... can can talk down to this movie at all right it's just not for me like i i did enjoy it but watch it at the end i was just like damn that was pretty sad um
I need to I need to put something else. Right. You know what I mean? And it is just that because we do watch and I know it's nitpicky, but I almost wish that her mom wasn't there just to give Nina a bit of a break. on some things because she goes through it through the whole fucking movie she's going through it and it's like god damn dude just
Let her get a nap that she wants. That she wants. Not that somebody else is telling her, hey, chill out or whatever. It's like, let her rest or whatever on her own. But yeah, this, everything about it was other than, like I said, it not being my type of genre. I really think that this is a really, really good movie. Yeah. And I mean, everybody has their sub genres, you know, there's nothing wrong with that. I agree, though, that I can't really find anything to complain about here.
I think that and I won't take up too much time because I feel like I talked a lot more than I intended. I just have a lot of feelings. But yeah, I think that it is stunning. I think Aronofsky has a really. particular eye and I think some of the visuals that he comes up with are so quietly upsetting. Like. The subtleties, that really, really works for me. The performances are fantastic. The dancing is amazing. The music is beautiful. I just...
Really appreciate the... and the themes and the motifs. And this kind of I think that we're touching on a lot of things here on. The duality that can exist within. Um, the like aspirations of wanting to be something other than yourself, other people telling you what kind of they expect you to be, um, sexual awakening, uh, just.
growth as a human being the stages that we go through and maybe don't want to leave to progress on to the next one I mean I think that this This film is saying so much and it's saying in a way that is so haunting and sad and beautiful and disturbing with some of the body horror that we get. Aging, I think, is another one. Even the way that Beth is treated. And I think that if I was hard-pressed to complain about something, it would be that I would want more Beth.
And I don't even know how hard I would push for that because I feel like the pacing of this film is fucking spot on. Like I think that we don't spend one more minute than we need to anywhere. Yeah. It's such a quick and like. breezy watch for how heavy it is uh but yeah i i just i i really love this movie i think it is Kind of a masterpiece, honestly. You're taking the words right out of my mouth. Honestly, I haven't watched this film in maybe a couple of years.
And every single time I return to it, I seem to forget just how special it is. Yeah. How incredible it is, not just on a technical level through their cinematography, the shot composition, the... Choices of using Swan Lake so interestingly throughout the score, the production design being so brilliant. I really think that there is just such a depth to a lot of what is being shown here. Just like you said, thematically through these motifs with the mirror.
I am blown away by how much work went into this behind the scenes. Yeah. Preparations using actual ballet dancers, the costumes. The performance at the end of Swan Lake is gorgeous to behold. Yeah. Even in these little snippets and through this claustrophobic cinematography of all these dance moves.
I'm just honestly astounded by this film every time I watch it. Yeah. But I applaud the elements of surrealism. I really like how emotional some aspects of it are and when you really dig into it and allow yourself to really identify with what each of the characters is going through it's very sad for so many of them true yeah Not Tomah. No, fuck him. Yeah, he can fuck off. Yeah, fuck off Tomah. Beth, like you're saying, I would like more with her. I feel like her story is such a tragic one.
And just being cast aside. Yeah. And that's the very interesting thing about this film is through the credits, everyone is kind of given the credit of their Swan Lake counterpart. Right. And Beth's is the dying swan. that's heartbreaking. Yeah. I was like, damn, you're even breaking my heart in the credits. How are you doing this? But no, I just, I think that everything that is said about this film regarding it. Impact and artistry, I think it can't be overstated.
I am just blown away every single time I watch it. And I know that this is one. I haven't watched it in a while, but it's going to be back in the rotation pretty constantly. Yeah. Okay. And I'm very grateful to everyone who voted this in on my birthday poll. Yeah.
I don't really think that there's anything else that I can add from what I've already said before. I am incredibly impressed by this film. Every single time I watch it, I feel like I discover more about it that I really, really love. Yeah. There is just such a depth. to it that it leaves you wanting to rediscover it again and again. And I just, one more time, want to give...
a round of applause to how much attention to detail there is in this attempt to really capture the world of ballet through this film. Yeah. And you can tell that they cared and they put that on screen and small moments of little things that. you know that people who dance ballet are like, yeah, I do that. Yeah. And I think that that's really, really cool. And one more time for Natalie Portman. Yeah. Just a fantastic performance.
I completely understand the Academy Award win. For sure. You know, I don't have much more to say, folks. I just love it. I love this movie. But for me, there should be no surprise. Out of 10 perfectly on point performances, I am going to give Black Swan 10 out of 10 perfectly on point performances. I felt it. Perfect. It was perfect. And I will now open the floor to you.
I think this was a little hard for me to rate only because, like I said, I do know there isn't really much for me at all, if anything, to complain about. It just isn't something that I really... At the end of it, like I said, I understand and I'm watching it, but it's not really something that kind of captured me.
I do understand. And it's very sad. It is just very sad. Like I said, I'm like, damn, Nina's... going through some shit and then still you go out there and you give it your all and you give the best performance of your life but it's your last one and it's like oh okay well that that really sucks
I feel like that might be part of the disconnect for you, too, is you don't really go in for bleak. Yeah, it is just that. Come on. I watched her go through all this shit. You finally accomplished what you want to. just to have it taken away. One thing I will say is there's a lot of argument online towards the ending of the film. Half of people saying that Nina absolutely dies in the end and half of people saying that she doesn't.
Really? Yeah, I took it and she was dying. Absolutely. Me too. I see it, especially the white light and everything. Yeah. And thematically and what. came from the film before it I feel like it is the most fitting and tragic end to the story yeah and that's the end of Swan Lake Swan Lake if we're gonna follow that thing it has to yeah
But I mean, it is like I said, it is it was a difficult one for me to kind of pick a number. But I think what I'm going to do and I'll explain why. So I know it might sound a little lower than you guys, but it. It isn't really. Are you assuming my score? Yes. No, no. I think we all know your score. I think we knew T-scores. He let it be known.
So I did want to go with the number, but I did think it was too low. So I'm going to go with the number. And the only reason I'm going with this number, because I feel like anything that's over this number has to be in the territory of something that I enjoy. So out of 10 perfectly on-point performances, I'm going to give Black Swan a 7 out of 10. I didn't want to go under it because then I felt like it would be too low to give this.
Because like you're saying, T, you can tell all the love that went into it, all the practice and then having actual, you know, ballet dancers that shit. I felt like I was at the ballet. Yeah. It's like, again, there's not really much for me to be like, oh, it's just not something that I'm... you know i watch too much so for that like i said anything over seven i feel needs to fall into something that I'm into a lot.
but for me that might as well honestly be a 10 giving it a 7 because like I said anything over is reserved for things that I'm really into and this there's really nothing that I can say was bad about it it really is just that You heard dying at the end is just like, God damn. You didn't get a break this whole time. No. No, she didn't. Now, before I blow everybody's tits off with my score, I just wanted to add a couple more themes that I had forgot to mention when I was giving my thoughts.
And it's just this kind of exploration of pressure in mental health and familial toxicity. And, you know, this predatory shit in the workplace as well. Yeah. And also... Occupational perfectionism. Yeah. Which what's that? I don't know. We definitely don't know. But yeah, I anything else would just be repeating myself. I think that this is a. gorgeous, tragic.
film and i think that everybody should watch it and also go watch perfect blue yes absolutely yes but on a scale from one to ten perfectly on point performances you got it I am giving Black Swan. Everybody stand back. 10 out of 10 perfectly on point performances. This is a. Stunning film. Yeah. I thought you were going to say perfect. It's perfect. Well, that's all from us at Podmortem. What would you rate Black Swan and what should we watch next?
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