Black Swan – Film

Today I decided to watch the film Black Swan, this film was recommended to me in one of our weekly tutorials. I wasn’t sure how relevant it would be for my project but hoped it would spark inspiration.

Immediately, it became apparent that this film was relatable as it is what some of my work is based off. The film looks at the behind the scenes training for the Swan Lake ballet. The main character is under immense pressure to be ‘perfect’ and as a result of that she becomes mentally ill. She compares herself to other ballerinas who previously played her role as she views them as perfect, coincidentally or not so, these characters also become mentally unwell. This shows comparison culture and its dangers which I discuss throughout my work.

Black Swan has given me insight into the emotion and radical action which women take to be ‘perfect’ after comparing themselves to others. It was interesting to view the perspective of the main character and visually see her illness unfold in her own mind. The ‘true’ perspective was also shown so the audience can see how extreme the main characters thoughts were. Thus clarifying the audience’s confusion and separating reality from mental illness.

The main characters confusion continues as she is unable to separate herself from the overwhelming comparison. This informs my work by contextualising my link to the performing arts industry and comparison culture.