“I really just wanted to walk out,” says Sara Mearns, remembering when she saw Black Swan in theaters. Like Nina, Mearns is a principal dancer at New York City Ballet. “Everything that she was going through was completely wrong and opposite of what I had gone through and what I think every ballerina goes through.”

What is the criticism of the Black Swan?

It's excessive and psychologically imprecise, coarse where it should be refined and too much like a David Cronenberg horror movie in places where restraint and intellectual rigor are called for. Black Swan is a stage door melodrama putting new spins on cliches as old as "All About Eve" (and maybe Adam).

Why was Black Swan controversial?

After the 83rd Academy Awards, where Portman won Best Actress for her performance in the film as a ballerina, controversy arose over how much credit for the dancing in the film was being given to her and how much to her "dance double", American Ballet Theatre soloist Sarah Lane.

What was the message of Black Swan?

The Big Picture

Black Swan is a dark psychological horror film that delves into the world of ballet, mental health, and the price of success. The intense pressure and obsession for perfection leads the main character, Nina, into a state of hallucinations and mental strain.

What ballet inspired Black Swan?

In 2010, Black Swan, a film starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, contained sequences from Swan Lake. In 2010, South African choreographer and ballet dancer Dada Masilo, remade Tchaikovsky's classic.

The Real 'Black Swan': Double Speaks

Did Natalie Portman wear pointe shoes in Black Swan?

The way she wears her clothes and slouches around in her practice-kit is well-observed, and the minutiae of darning and breaking in pointe shoes is spot-on. Portman acted well in Black Swan, but if she has failed to acknowledge Lane's contribution, she may have acted pretty gracelessly too.

How much weight did Natalie lose for Black Swan?

Natalie Portman has transformed herself for many film roles, but nothing was as grueling as her Black Swan makeover. The actress shed an astonishing 20lbs from her already slight frame to play a ballerina in the 2011 film and admitted it put such a toll on her body that she thought she was going to die.

Was Lily Real Black Swan?

Like other endings of Aronofsky movies, this incorporates surrealist elements as Lily's death was a hallucination. This wouldn't come as a surprise to viewers as the story had already dabbled in the protagonist showing similar behavior in the past.

What is Black Swan a metaphor for?

A black swan is an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected of a situation and has potentially severe consequences. Black swan events are characterized by their extreme rarity, severe impact, and the widespread insistence they were obvious in hindsight.

What age is Nina in Black Swan?

Synopsis. The movie opens as Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), a young ballerina in her mid twenties, is dancing the prologue to Swan Lake. Swan Lake is a ballet in which a princess is turned into the White Swan and can only be turned back if a man swears eternal fidelity to her.

Was Natalie Portman actually dancing in Black Swan?

In a written statement, "Black Swan" director Darren Aronofsky said, "Here is the reality. I had my editor count shots. There are 139 dance shots in the film -- 111 are Natalie Portman untouched. Twenty-eight are her dance double Sarah Lane.

How old was Natalie Portman in Black Swan?

Can child stars go on to credible careers? With her Ivy League credentials and a performance in Black Swan that's put her in line for an Oscar, Natalie Portman proves it can be done... At 29, Natalie Portman has already been in the business a long time.

Did Mila Kunis dance in Black Swan?

Soon after the L.A.-based Kunis was cast in "Black Swan," the film's choreographer, Benjamin Millepied, contacted the Los Angeles Ballet's artistic directors and asked if they could provide Kunis with ballet training. Instead of taking on the task themselves, they recommended Blacker for the assignment.

How disturbing is Black Swan?

Black Swan Has Elements Of Body Horror

Subtle elements like the scratches on Nina's back and the prolonged damage to her feet represent the scary reality of being a ballerina, but the movie also slowly ratchets up the body horror as things go on.

Did she have schizophrenia in Black Swan?

But speaking as a psychiatrist, Lamberti said the film did not accurately depict schizophrenia, as has been widely speculated, but "does present a reasonable portrait of psychosis." "People tend to be scared of things they don't understand," he said.

Is The Black Swan evil in the ballet?

In some productions, Odile is known as "The Black Swan" and rather than magically disguised as her, is Odette's evil twin or double, an example of this type of portrayal is seen in the production by The Bolshoi Ballet.

What mental illness does Nina have in Black Swan?

There are simply too many psychological issues going on with Nina. She shows elements of an anxiety disorder with obsessive compulsive behaviors. She also manifests self-injurious behavior and some signs of an eating disorder.

Was Black Swan based on Perfect Blue?

Both involve young women attempting to perfect their craft, and slowly giving up their morals as they spiral into delusion. There is debate over whether or not Aronofsky “copied” Perfect Blue. He denies it, but any viewer can see the similarities between the two.

What is the meaning of GREY Rhino?

A Gray Rhino is a highly probable, high-impact threat: something we ought to see coming, like a two-ton rhinoceros aiming its horn in our direction and preparing to charge.

Did Nina and Lily sleep together in Black Swan?

NOT REAL: Therefore, Lilly and Nina did not have actual sex (we know this because after sex, Lilly said something to Nina about being a ‘Good girl’ and then tried to smother her. Not real!) NOT REAL: Nina didn’t murder the real Lilly, of course.

What pill did Lily take in Black Swan?

Lily invites Nina to a night out and slips a capsule of ecstasy into her drink. Later that night, Nina fights with her mother, locks herself in her room, and has sex with Lily. At the ballet studio, Nina finds Lily in the Swan Queen costume, performing her routine.

What was Lily trying to do in Black Swan?

Lily wants to be the best dancer in the company, and she sees the new production of Swan Lake as her chance to show off her passion. The only thing getting in her way is her colleague Nina, the prissy perfectionist who's managed to captivate Thomas Leroy, the company's director.

How many calories did Mila Kunis eat for Black Swan?

Mila Kunis has confessed that her diet was restricted to 1,200 calories per day while filming Black Swan. The actress - who shrunk down to 95lbs for her role as a ballet dancer in the film - revealed that she was in "hell" during filming and only ate foods that fit in her hand, reports the Daily Star.

Why did Natalie gain so much weight?

She still made it to America, and eventually had a small pandemic wedding with Mike. However, her married life made Natalie unhappy, which led to "stress eating." Natalie says she is on antidepressants, and gained 30 pounds following her arrival in the U.S.

How many hours a day did Natalie Portman train for Black Swan?

For one one year training six day a week eight hours a day. Natalie Portman prepared for Black Swan.