Black Swan Film Analysis
Black Swan, a 2010 psychological thriller that was directed by Darren Aronofsky, stars Natalia Portman & Mila Kuniz. The story is told through Nina’s perspective, a young ballerina who is determined to excel in dance. The pressure she experienced and the competition she faced as she explored her darker side ultimately led her to lose her grip on reality, and she ended up in insanity. This paper will discuss the use of mies en-scene in Black Swan.
The film opens with Swan Lake’s original soundtrack playing as background music. Black feathers appear on the screen. The film’s title comes up on the screen and the sound effect is of wind blowing. Although the same Tchaikovsky soundtrack is played throughout the film’s duration, the sounds that give the classical music an unusual twist have already established the suspenseful and creepy mood. We first see Nina, the protagonist. She is wearing a white ballet gown. Her back is facing the camera so her face is obscured. However, a spotlight highlights her side and illuminates her other side. The whole scene has a mysterious quality. A single light source illuminates one side of her face. To draw us into Nina’s private space as a dancer, this technique is used several times throughout. Except for close-ups at her feet, the majority of shots are taken from her eye level. Nina’s dancing scene is shot handheld because the camera circles her and follows her movements. This allows her audience to experience the joy that comes with dancing. At 2:28, she descends down to the ground. The backlight creates shadows that cast strong shadows. The shadows behind her reveal a predatory face that follows her around and makes threatening movements. As a sudden effect, Nina was grabbed by the monster-like figure. She dances towards the lights, trying to escape the camera, but she eventually falls prey to the black swan.
The opening scene of the film is significant as it establishes the black-versus-white symbolism. It also foreshadows the storyline. Nina’s fragile white dress and vulnerability symbolises her innocence. Nina’s surroundings are dark and dreary, meaning that she is constantly in danger. The appearance the monster might be symbolic of the terrifying twist in Nina’s life that threatens to destroy her and leave her helpless.
Nina’s juxtaposition with Lily reveals the theme of dark and light colours. We can see Nina suddenly appearing on Lily. Lily is supposed to be Nina’s “shadow self”, or dark alter ego. White, grey, and pastel costumes signify a character’s virtue. Black, red, or darker shades indicate a character’s evil intentions or calculation. Nina views Lily, who Nina regards as a rival in appearance, as always wearing black. Nina does not wear any makeup onstage and dresses in light colours. Lily however, is black. Nina also has darker makeup and hair than Lily. This image shows Lily as a mature, independent, and more sensual person than Nina. However, Nina’s transition can be seen in the way that Nina chooses her clothing.
Nina’s character development and transition are represented by colours. Nina’s first wake-up, Nina was dressed in a baby-pink eveninggown. All of her bedding, including the breakfast grapefruit and furniture, have a pink powdery tone. Nina later appears on a train in light grey sweatpants. She also wears a light pink and fluffy coat. All the rest of the passengers and pedestrians are wearing black. Nina’s transitions gradually take place. Nina starts out in white, but soon she begins to wear red lipstick. Then she changes to greys and dark greys. Finally, she becomes the black Swan, wearing only black. As Nina transforms from a simple and quiet girl to a paranoid, crazy, independent black swan, this gradual change in Nina’s makeup and costume colours is a sign of her personality.
Although both non-diegetic and diegetic sounds can be heard in the film, the internal sounds that are used to shape the main character are much more important. At 52:10 in the club scene, Nina heard internal diegetic noises. All the voices and dance music sound muffled to show that Nina is being influenced by alcohol and drugs. When Nina believed she had brought Lily home, the dialogues between them were internal sounds that Nina could hear. As Nina’s mental health deteriorates, the same internal diegetic sounds are more common. When Nina saw the photos on her mother’s walls at 1:07.07, she realized that the loud whisperings that seemed to be coming from them were actually coming from her head. Nina transforms into the black bird at the movie’s climax, around 1:16.35. Nina only hears the continuous sound effect that Nina describes as feathers flapping, feathers moving and wind blowing. Although the sound isn’t very distinctive at first, it can be heard by Nina as imaginary black feathers and wings grow out of her body. The internal sounds of the diegetic allow viewers to see Nina’s mind from her perspective, which allows them to experience extreme paranoia, fear and exaltation.
The film’s setting is carefully designed to reflect Nina’s personality and life. At 14:11, we see Nina’s room in the opening shot. The room has pink floral wallpaper and bedssheets, dolls, and lace lampshades. She is treated as a child by her mother in this particular scene. Her mother brushes her hair, puts her in her bed, and plays a soothing lullaby. This scene portrays Nina as a young girl and her inability to see the mature woman that she is. The film uses mirrors in numerous settings. This is another notable element. Mirrors are used in many settings throughout the film. There are mirrors in Nina’s bedroom where she works every day, as well as mirrors inside the dressing rooms and practice rooms. Many mirror scenes feature Nina’s faces reflected in the mirrors. As such, the audience might be able to see several of her faces. Nina, when she is having her fitting, notices that one of her reflections gains independence and acts without Nina. Mirrors can therefore be seen as Nina’s dual personality and split personality. They also show how her two sides are fighting. Mirrors also emphasize Nina’s absurd obsession with perfectionism and looking flawless.
This film’s editing style is quite typical for thriller/horror movies. As scenes intensify and suspense builds the pace of this film increases, so does its pace. The editing style is fast-paced with quick cuts to each shot. Lily is introduced to us as a new character by the camera following her around the train. After a fast pan, the camera cuts quickly to Nina’s right side, then cuts to Nina’s left, then cuts back to Nina’s right side, then jumps to another shot. This not only shows Nina’s urgency to reach the studio, but also gives the impression that Lily is important. This technique is used also during Nina’s sexual fantasy scene. The scene quickly cuts between Nina and Lily’s faces. They then touch their hands, speeding towards the mini climax. Nina’s POV is taken from Nina’s viewpoint. She is then smothered her evil double. You can infer that significant events will occur when the cutting is faster and each shot takes less time.
This film uses some very unusual framing and shot placement techniques. Nina was separated from the rest of the dancers by having the wall placed behind her. This framing, with Nina’s hand gestures and the sudden silence, shows her isolation and her inability to be in the same frame as the others. You can also see the body parts, such as hands and feet, in close-ups. Nina’s facial expressions are often highlighted by having her face shown large. The close-up shows Nina’s extremely fearful expression as her white swan dance partner was thrown into the air. Her feet are shot in close-up at 13.43 while she was still dancing in her bedroom. The footage is then cut to slow-motion so that each turn and strength are highlighted. This scene also has shock value as she nearly twists her ankle during the slow motion.
The camera is usually following Nina or showing her point-of-view, but there are a few different shots. Nina is being lifted up by her partner in the air at 1:13:10. Nina’s body, facial expressions and surroundings are captured in the exact same location. Because she is spinning in midair, the camera must be attached to her to create this effect. Nina runs away around 1:04.40. As Nina moves frantically, the entire frame becomes off balance.
This film is not only technical in nature, but also has cultural implications that are worth considering. Although it’s not clearly shown, Nina was already suffering from an eating disorder as well as a tendency to self-harm. Nina refuses even to eat a single piece of bread or fruit for breakfast, only half a grapefruit and an egg. Nina’s mother was alarmed to see the scratches on her back. This indicates that Nina is prone to intentionally scratch herself and inflict injury on herself. Ballet is a competitive sport, so it is crucial that dancers look slim and toned to be able to perform well on the stage. Anorexia has caused the death of some female ballet performers. Nina could have been motivated by this obsession with perfect body images and beauty by the industry. Although Nina is a talented dancer and young woman, few people can see beyond the glitter and perfection and understand what she has given up in return for her success.
The film can be described as scary or disturbing by many, but it is enjoyable for me because it uses all elements in an artistic and meaningful way. It is evident that every costume, colour, camera movement, and editing has been carefully chosen to create meaning. Black Swan’s striking moments are made even more compelling by combining the most horrific with the most beautiful. Instead of being overwhelmed by fear they become fascinated by its beautiful aspects and forget about the psychotic or violent elements behind it.
