“Perfect” at a cost: A deep dive into Nina Sayers from Black Swan
What happens when ambition turns into obsession? - Warning: spoilers ahead 🩰
I will be deep diving into the character Nina Sayers from the Horror/Drama movie directed by Darren Aronofosky, “Black Swan”. In this Oscar winning performance, Natalie Portman portrays Nina who is a successful, perfectionist ballerina. She earns both the roles of the White Swan (Odette) and the Black Swan (Odile) in the production of Swan Lake. Nina ultimately descends into madness mirroring the duality of the roles she has been cast in, becoming the Black Swan by the end of the movie.
🦢The White Swan:
In the beginning of the movie, I would characterise Nina as a white swan. She is disciplined, peaceful, and a perfectionist. She is also infantilised by her mother, which may have been a factor to her demise, but more on that later. This overall represents the White Swan archetype; she is pure and controlled, but emotionally restrained. Throughout the whole movie, her outfits display her mental state. When she was in her White Swan era, he outfits consisted of light colours like baby pinks and whites. Likewise, her hair was tied in a tight ballerina bun further emphasising her restraint. As she transitioned between the two swans (arguably her two personalities) the whites turned to greys and the baby pinks turned to washed-out pinks.
🌑The Black Swan:
As the movie continues, Nina, after getting her role of Swan Queen, faces great pressure from Thomas (Vincent Cassel) who is the director. For a while she also has a rivalry against Lily (played by Mila Kunis) but soon after befriends her. This is when her rage begins. She starts to hallucinate showing her repressed side. Similarly to her White Swan era, her clothes also change mirroring her behavioural patterns. She begins to wear darker colours and exaggerated eye makeup.
🪽Embrace of the Darkness:
In the final act, Nina is both tragic and triumphant. She completely captures the essence of the Black Swan through becoming it, but paying the price with her life. Her artistic sacrifice lead by her perfectionism displays the roles people expect women to act by being both pure (White Swan) and seductive (Black Swan). She morphs into the Black Swan growing its wings and displaying its vibrant red eyes. She doesn’t just wear the costume she becomes it.
🩰Final thoughts:
This movie immediately became one of my favourites, and I’m sure that this is the case for many of you. As a final thought I have two questions for you:
Was the ending artistic sacrifice or a critique of perfectionism?
Was Nina liberated, destroyed, or both?
Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts on “Black Swan” and Nina Sayers or whatever movie or character you want me to review next, and don’t forget to subscribe to see more content like this!
I can't wait for the rest of your deep dive! Enticing intro. I haven't seen the film yet.
amazing!