Black Swan

Did anyone see a spiritual side to this movie? The idea that this girl continues to run from her "dark side" over and over kinda freaked me out as I went through a period of running from myself this way.

[Honza]

Its not on in the cinemas yet over here in the uk. But I can relate to the problem.

I think the film was loaded with spiritual ideas! Nina was really struggling to find her own identity because she kind of followed in the footsteps of her mother. Her mother babied her so much that at the beginning I didn't know if she was 10 or 20.

When Nina met her ballet instructor, he tried to teach her to let go, and this allowed her to see herself in other people, yet this is also what let to her downfall because she couldn't find a balance inside herself.

I think this is something we all struggle with. Are we ever really sure of our own selves or do we constantly look for ourselves in other people? It's definitely not a bad thing, but when you can't handle it, you fluctuate between good and evil, there's no middle ground, like what happened with Nina. Although it did seem like she also struggle with some other mental disorders because of the hallucinations and self abuse.

To me, these things are spiritual because being a spiritual person in my opinion helps you to be comfortable in your own skin. It helps you to have love and passion instead of hatred. This movie was beyond amazing and was such a psychological twister for me. I never knew what was going to happen next. I think it definitely shows how you can be your own best friend or worst enemy.

[Honza]

Has anyone else seen this film? Is it any good?

[Zero]

I really liked it, freaky!

Honza, I was initially freaked out because I don't like horror movies. But I liked the concept I got from it. It has many many...love scenes and I would give the show about a 8/10 for horror movies. It was thought provoking which is rare for horror movies these days which are usually just about blood and gore.

Honza, if you've seen any of Aronofsky's films (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler) it's really in the same vein. He is genius! And what Mava said - very true! I really loved the identity crisis, definitely Natalie Portman's greatest performance to date!

Finally saw this film.

I personally think that the film was about Nina's inability to deal with the darker, sensual and sexual side of herself once it had became apparent to her and developed (due to the help of her ballet instructor and Lily), because it was kept hidden and smothered in a sense by the controlling presence/influence of her mother, hence why Nina embodied the essence of the white swan: pure, innocent, naive - all of which are apparent with not only her personality, but physically within the confines of her bedroom.

This inability to deal with the darker part of her psyche lead Nina (or perhaps Nina's mind) to sort after a way of repressing it, by disassociating herself (the pure, innocent and naive Nina) from the developing darker side. She embarks on this disassociation in two ways: her mind makes her believe that this darker side is actually Lily, and the transformation she goes through in actually becoming a Black Swan - hence the hallucination involving the fantasies with Lily(/imagine Nina) and the feathers growing on her, etc.

That's my two cents worth.

Daydd, that's what I got from it too.

I really related to Nina for that very reason. She had all this curiosity, sexuality, desire that built up in her and she kept on suppressing it trying to be this perfect, sweet girl to please everyone. And it scared me how everything around her became dark as a result. She projected everything she repressed onto everyone around her, hallucinating, dreams...

It seems to happen quite often though in reality (though not always as scarily).

I totally saw this movie as spiritual. I believe it to be about our shadow selves.