Apiphobic Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 what did she say at the end? And did you see it as symbolic of the death of her inner white swan? Or something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I have not seen Black Swan. Did you like it? I know it got rave reviews, but I'm having a hard time that the entire plot line is built around her not being able to handle being cast as both the good white swan and the evil black swan like every ballerina in every production of Swan Lake ever given!!! I know in the movie it's supposed to be something novel, but it's not! I don't know why this bugs me so much, but it does. :tongue_smilie: Sorry not helpful, but your thread got a bump. :lurk5: Was it good enough to see in spite of the fact that I'll have to resist the urge to yell at the screen? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiphobic Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 Thanks for the bump. Yes, I did like it. And, as you can see, I'm still thinking about it. I think some of it was overdone or a little bit of a stretch and not quite believable, but I enjoyed Natalie Portman's transformation and her conflict within herself. I guess that's what I enjoyed most, her struggle within herself to be the white swan and the black swan. My daughter and I discussed it, and she found more symbolism between the movie and the actual story in Swan Lake. She enjoyed the ballet sequences much more than the thriller parts, too. Wow, I'm surprised nobody's seen it yet. I do recommend it although I suppose the sexuality might be too much for some. Let me know if you decide to see it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I hate ballet, and I'm not familiar with the story of Swan Lake other than what was offered in the movie Black Swan. That said, and probably that's why, I tend to side with your original post. I interpreted her actions as (Portman) killing her inner white swan everytime the movie showed her interacting with (Kunis) the black swan. Kunis was just the face Portman used to represent her own, inner black swan. POTENTIAL SPOILER BELOW. Highlight to read, otherwise skip over :) I do think her post-production death was real, though. To die playing the role of a lifetime, having finally achieved true perfection. Not just as the white swan, but also as the black swan. Earlier in the film she speaks of suicide in an enamored light, saying how beautiful the ballet story is - specifically the suicide of the white swan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 She says she was "Perfect." Remember she was striving for perfection and told her director that she just wanted to be perfect. It was a pretty creepy movie, but I spent a great deal of time during the movie trying to guess/figure out what was happening. I wasn't sure if Kunis was real at first, for example, or if Portman has some dual-personality going on (think she did, but know Kunis WAS real). There certainly were complex dynamics going on--and unfortunately, having read some ballet bios, I'd say some of the yuckier stuff was accurate for some in the dance world (bulimia, "director's couch", etc.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 (edited) My daughter saw it last night with her boyfriend. They are both ballet dancers, so they know the angst (although not at that level, thank goodness.) They agree with your interpretation of the internal struggle and with eternalknot: Nina had her moment and that was it. Where do you go from perfect? Edited January 7, 2011 by Mejane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNC Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 not relevent to op Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiphobic Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 I hate ballet, and I'm not familiar with the story of Swan Lake other than what was offered in the movie Black Swan. That said, and probably that's why, I tend to side with your original post. I interpreted her actions as (Portman) killing her inner white swan everytime the movie showed her interacting with (Kunis) the black swan. Kunis was just the face Portman used to represent her own, inner black swan. POTENTIAL SPOILER BELOW. Highlight to read, otherwise skip over :) I do think her post-production death was real, though. To die playing the role of a lifetime, having finally achieved true perfection. Not just as the white swan, but also as the black swan. Earlier in the film she speaks of suicide in an enamored light, saying how beautiful the ballet story is - specifically the suicide of the white swan. Love how you hid your spoiler! I'm tempted to write all my replies in white because I don't want to spoil it for anyone. I'm glad I saw the movie with no clue about what was to happen. It was about ballet, Natalie Portman was in it, and the trailer looked good so ... let's go! :tongue_smilie: SPOILER BELOW! I saw Kunis as competition, not as the face of Portman's inner black swan. I guess I thought there were two stories going on. One was the stress, backstabbing, and drama behind a ballet show, and that's where Ryder and Kunis came in. And then the other story was Portman's struggle to be both the white and black swans. She saw Kunis as a threat and yet wanted to be like her because she could perform the black swan so well. But I think she was scared that in becoming the black swan, she knew she couldn't be the white swan anymore. That innocence and purity was gone once the black swan emerged. That's why I saw the death as symbolic of the death of her white swan. I knew she was really dying and figured it was back to the story of the life of a ballet dancer with all its nightmarish background. Thanks for your analysis. I enjoy discussing this with others to see the different interpretations. She says she was "Perfect."Remember she was striving for perfection and told her director that she just wanted to be perfect. It was a pretty creepy movie, but I spent a great deal of time during the movie trying to guess/figure out what was happening. I wasn't sure if Kunis was real at first, for example, or if Portman has some dual-personality going on (think she did, but know Kunis WAS real). There certainly were complex dynamics going on--and unfortunately, having read some ballet bios, I'd say some of the yuckier stuff was accurate for some in the dance world (bulimia, "director's couch", etc.). I heard her say something about perfect but didn't catch it all, so I was hoping someone else might have heard it. It definitely did have some thriller elements in there, but I thought it was done pretty well. And I thought it was good because it showed how much she was losing it. When I was trying to find her exact words online, I stumbled on an article discussing all the illnesses she had. Some of the medical professionals said that while bulimia and cutting (her scratching her back) were common in ballet, it wasn't often that someone would have bulimia, cutting AND schizophrenia and still be able to perform or function that well. I think they also said schizophrenia meant she would've been hearing things, not seeing or hallucinating things. Thanks for your input. :001_smile: My daughter saw it last night with her boyfriend. They are both ballet dancers, so they know the angst (although not at that level, thank goodness.) They agree with your interpretation of the internal struggle and with eternalknot: Nina had her moment and that was it. Where do you go from perfect? I guess I didn't see the connection between her achieving perfection and the jump. I just thought the black swan triumphed and so the white swan, her true self, died. That's awesome that your daughter and her boyfriend are ballet dancers. Best wishes to them both! not relevent to op I'm sure someone would've been interested anyway. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parias1126 Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I really liked it, but it left me speechless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parias1126 Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 My daughter saw it last night with her boyfriend. They are both ballet dancers, so they know the angst (although not at that level, thank goodness.) They agree with your interpretation of the internal struggle and with eternalknot: Nina had her moment and that was it. Where do you go from perfect? Just curious if you saw it before you let your 17 yo watch it. I'm not sure I would let my 17 yo sit through it and she was a ballet dancer for years until the end of last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Yesterday the Pilates trainer asked my daughter if she had seen it. She said no, but that a lot of girls at the ballet school had. Their MOMS were taking them!!! Did those moms not watch the preview trailer first? Just the trailer was enough to give me nightmares, not to mention the s*x scenes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 My son is a ballet dancer and wanted to see it. I nixed it based on the dark nature. He's a sensitive kid, and it's really NOT about ballet; it's about madness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Just curious if you saw it before you let your 17 yo watch it. I'm not sure I would let my 17 yo sit through it and she was a ballet dancer for years until the end of last year. No, I didn't. Dd is a month from 18 and very mature. She's been watching adult-themed movies with me for years. I think it depends on the teen. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parias1126 Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 No, I didn't. Dd is a month from 18 and very mature. She's been watching adult-themed movies with me for years. I think it depends on the teen. :001_smile: My DD is a month from 18 as well and very mature. If you haven't seen it, I would say you should. This movie was way past "adult-themed". You would probably be very surprised at what you let your 17 yo view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 My DD is a month from 18 as well and very mature. If you haven't seen it, I would say you should. This movie was way past "adult-themed". You would probably be very surprised at what you let your 17 yo view. I plan to see it when it comes out on DVD. I'm sure my daughter will watch it again with me. I'm very well aware of the contents of the movie. Dd saw it with her boyfriend who had seen it previously. She thought it was excellent and we talked about her impressions and the themes. She certainly hasn't experienced any PTSD, so I think she's doing okay. Thanks so much for your concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiphobic Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 My son is a ballet dancer and wanted to see it. I nixed it based on the dark nature. He's a sensitive kid, and it's really NOT about ballet; it's about madness. No, I didn't. Dd is a month from 18 and very mature. She's been watching adult-themed movies with me for years. I think it depends on the teen. :001_smile: I plan to see it when it comes out on DVD. I'm sure my daughter will watch it again with me. I'm very well aware of the contents of the movie. Dd saw it with her boyfriend who had seen it previously. She thought it was excellent and we talked about her impressions and the themes. She certainly hasn't experienced any PTSD, so I think she's doing okay. Thanks so much for your concern. (Text bolded by me) Where's my like button? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 (Text bolded by me) Where's my like button? ;) Thanks. Sheesh. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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