What makes a film ‘good’?
Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan
Black Swan is a psychological horror which tells the story of Nina Sayers, a ballerina who dreams of dancing the Swan Queen in Swan Lake. When she wins the lead role, Nina slowly begins losing her mind in a curious and intense mix of melodrama and horror. The movie is over the top, and some of its effects are over done but it is richly enjoyable. Nina’s hallucinations play an important part in the movie as the viewer cannot tell the difference between reality and her delusions since the movie is from her point of view. This makes the movie ’good’ because it gives the viewer a sense of complication and leaves you thinking about it for a while after.
Most of the films visual effects are quite subtle, taking us along with Nina on her journey to insanity. However, the film’s finale where Nina transforms into the black swan shows us how she is completely converted into that persona/ alter ego. This transformation is metaphorical to the audience of the show, but to us and her, it is completely real.
Medium shots at eye-level have been used by Aronofsky throughout Black Swan. These two contrasting medium shots were both filmed with a shaky, unstable camera. The roughness in which they are captured gives the viewer the impression that there is someone following and baring down on Nina. This shot has been used emphasise the fact that there is always somebody watching what Nina is doing. The fact that there are two contrasting shots, one well-lit and one which is backlit tells the viewer that even if Nina is to rebel and in turn venture into becoming the Black Swan, the pressure of being a ballet performer will always be existent and will forever be ‘with’ Nina. This is also important to the plot as Nina’s character is a perfectionist.
Many props are also used to symbolise different things. For example, Mirrors are also often used in horror to increase tension, and Black Swan repeatedly uses this device to create an unsettling visual and as a weapon. Mirrors can be interpreted as one of Nina’s causes of downfall, since her perfectionism plays such a huge part in her everyday life and is the root of the films plot complication (her ability to play both the black and white swan).