Black Swan opinions

[Sparx]

My DD17 wants to see it and since I rented it thru Time Warner, we have it for 24 hours. I don't know how comfortable I am letting her watch the scenes between Natalie and Mila, but she is going to be 18 this year. Can't keep them from graphic sex scenes forever. If she decides to watch it, I won't watch it with her. I know that would make her feel uncomfortable.

I would be much more critical about the graphic sexual harassment scenes (that go unspoken about, because as far as this movie tells us its okay for your boss to harass you if he's a really important person after all) than the consensual sex scene/orgasm.

 

[Rora]

I really enjoyed it and would say it was worth the $11 I paid to see it at the movies.

I agree!!

Like a PP mentioned, it's disturbing. If you have kids, they need to sit this one out, IMO.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

I would be much more critical about the graphic sexual harassment scenes (that go unspoken about, because as far as this movie tells us its okay for your boss to harass you if he's a really important person after all) than the consensual sex scene/orgasm.

You make a good point, one I hadn't even thought of. That would leave more of an impression than the other scenes. I do have to say, that I thought the "relationship" between her and the teacher would be more than it was. Esp when he invites her to his apt. I thought "ok, here we go".

 

[Sparx]

You make a good point, one I hadn't even thought of. That would leave more of an impression than the other scenes. I do have to say, that I thought the "relationship" between her and the teacher would be more than it was. Esp when he invites her to his apt. I thought "ok, here we go".

I thought the relationship between the two women was a welcome relief to the disgusting sexual harassment. I feel like, and this is probably a spoiler, but the fantasy she was having about her fellow ballerina were protests against the negative relationship she had with all men in her life (the men at the bar being bored with her, the absence of a father, the sexually harassing boss) as well as a metaphor for ************, which she was again, commanded to do by a man in her life.

Overall, the movie was interesting and needs to be examined critically, but I don't feel like its for children unless there is an extensive discussion of themes afterwards (like sexual harassment and consent, abusive relationships [with parents or coworkers], the fallacy of perfection, and dealing with pressure in a positive, non self destructive way)

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

SPOILER:

You seem to have a lot of theories and viewpoints about this movie. Maybe it was obvious to everyone but me, but what exactly do you think happened to Nina with all the hallucinations? Did she just break under the pressure? Was her mother a catalyst for her attempting and failing at rejection? Was Lily playing mind games so much that it put Nina over the edge? What do you think? Or, was it a psychotic break?

 

[Sparx]

SPOILER:

You seem to have a lot of theories and viewpoints about this movie. Maybe it was obvious to everyone but me, but what exactly do you think happened to Nina with all the hallucinations? Did she just break under the pressure? Was her mother a catalyst for her attempting and failing at rejection? Was Lily playing mind games so much that it put Nina over the edge? What do you think?

I absolutely think everything that happened to Nina was happening within her mind. I think she might have been starving herself, too, after the cake-scene. She had no positive influence in her life. She had the mother living through her, the abusive boss, the negative coworkers, etc. She was under more stress than I can comprehend and she also wasn't eating and had no outlet for anything happening to her. She was breaking with reality and eventually committed suicide, after she felt she had fufilled her life's work (to be perfect).

I think this movie tried a little too hard to be artistic and edgy when it had a common, overdone plotline. I didn't feel like any of the story was disconnected and I followed it all easily, but I was bored. One or two jumpy scenes when she's imagining pulling off her flesh weren't enough to hold my intrest. I think this was a movie written by men about women, and I usually can't handle those very well. This was a movie that perpetuated the idea that all women are in competetion with one another and hate one another, which is a damaging stereotype and completely untrue. And while its making its women hate each other, its also making the men attack and divide the women. The gendered images in this movie were dangerous at best.

I think it was as popular as it was because of the lesbian sex scene/female orgasm and because it had a fascade of being "artistic" and "edgy" when in reality it really just had an overdone plot that I've seen too many times.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

I do think that when the Black Swan scene ended and she went over and kissed the teacher, she had finally taken back what he had taken from her (power). But then again, you can look at it like, he was just trying to toughen her up for the Black Swan scene by kissing her. He never made any sexual advances toward her. She obviously ended up with a sort of dual personality in the end, and I too, felt like she died in the end. It was a little unrealistic that she would be able to dance the last scene after jabbing herself with the piece of mirror. Obviously, she hit a major artery or internal organs and should have died pretty quickly. I thought Winona Ryder's role was completely unnecessary.

 

[GoodFairies]

She had an eating disorder, she is seen throwing up or trying to throw up all throughout the movie.
The problem is we don't see a spiral of her going mad trying to attain perfection.

You know, Stephen King wasn't a fan of Kubrick's The Shining because Jack Torrance was just crazy from the beginning whereas there was a definite descent in the novel. This is how I felt about Black Swan.

From minute one the viewer knew she was crazy. To me, that isn't a story. I guess I was expecting some kind of twist and there isn't one.

There were a lot of 'too disgusting to watch' moments as well. Basically it was like it took Aronofsky 10 years to make a movie that was a lot like Requiem for a Dream, only far more inferior. The symbolism in this movie was so ridiculous! We see Nina in white, then shades of gray, and black; Lily in black with wings tattooed on her back! Talk about in-your-face. I prefer my symbolism to be a bit more subtle...when you are trying to be so
"deep."

At the end she was able to finish the dance because part of the mirror was still lodged inside; she didn't start to bleed profusely until she pulled it out.
Winona Ryder's part wasn't pointless, it was what Nina was striving for...the central theme of the movie.

I agree with a lot of what Sparx said - tried to be edgy, fell really short. A boring movie with really no redeeming qualities.

Try Requiem for a Dream. Or my personal favorite movie about obsession destroying people, "The Prestige."