The Madness of Feminine Perfection | Explored Through Black Swan 

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Just a quick note, Odette and Odile are almost ALWAYS performed by the same ballerina in professional ballet companies

When I rewatched this, I think Lily was trying to become genuine friends with Nina She stood up to the dance teacher when she saw Nina visibly upset by him Calling him a prick to make him seem less scary Even though Lily wasn’t in the wrong, she still apologized to Nina because she saw how hurt she was When Nina tells Lily about her hallucination. Lily laughs it off and says “was I good?” in a teasing friendly way When Lily tells a Nina she’s going to be her alternate, she almost sounds remorseful and she quickly adds “just in case” because she’s seen how obsessed Nina was with this role She congratulates Nina after the black swan dance And was the first person to notice that Nina was bleeding But unfortunately, in Nina’s mind, and in the dance world, there are no friends, only competition Also, with her obsession with ballet, and controlling mother, I don’t even think Nina had friends, which just makes it sadder

tw: ED As someone who grew up in ballet during the h*roine chic era of the 90s/00s while being curvy no matter what I did, and this film coming out at a time where Nina would’ve grown up in that as well, I’ve always thought the ED undertones also contributed to her hallucinations in combination with the extreme stress as those can be symptoms in severe cases. Additionally, given how intensely she works out and lack of proper nutrition, I’ve always wondered if maybe she never/rarely menstruated, allowing her to more easily remain in that adolescent mindset her mother forces on her. It does make the usage of blood and red in the film very interesting in that it tends to appear when she interacts with symbols of womanhood, whereas pinks are used for girlhood (also interesting that the towels she uses to hide “Lily’s blood” is pink, sort of symbolizing trying to cover up her womanhood with girlish things).

I don't think Lily wss malicious. When I watched the film years ago, I interpreted her character as being a woman, just living her best life, which is why Nina dislikes her so much. Because she's free and apparently doesn't give a sh¡t about what others think of her. I seem to recall she wasn't caught up in what the director told them, unlike Nina, who seemed to idealise him as a paternal, godly figure. I think Nina was completely paranoid of her and Lily honestly was just genuinely trying to help. Which is scary, how you can just be living your life and strangers can come to feel threatened by you just because of it.

Charlotte Bronte once said, "A man's ideal woman is a curious creature. Half angel. Half doll."

i think it's important to note that nina's mother's color is green. green is the color of envy. while nina's color story goes from white and baby pink to greys to black. the use of color in this film is one of the main reasons why i love it so much.

Nina's infantilization is so extreme because she has to be at least 25 y/o by the time the story takes place!! Her mom specifically made a comment about Nina "getting older" and the increased pressure being put on you as you age as a dancer. Nina is implied to be 27-28, close to the age Erica was when she retired in her late 20s due to her accidental pregnancy/ failure to leave the corps de ballet. Nina has been working with the company for a while at least since she said Thomas plans to feature her more that season. She also seems to be addressing her own fears when she's the only soloist supportive of Beth's continuing with the company in spite of her being "old" for a dancer.

ballerina’s feet are blistered, bruised, and bloody as time goes on, yet they are contained in a pink, dainty shoe. i feel that is so symbolic of femininity!! to be female is to perform

I believe Natalie Portman or someone said she didn't necessarily die. This film was sort of alluding to Nina's puberty. So it could be a metaphorical death. But then she'll be reborn as a woman. All of this to say the ending may have been intended as ambiguous. She may have been taken to the hospital and saved. Her wound honestly looks like a period. Plenty of symbolism there.

The "what happened to my little girl" feels so damning to me. My father has said this too me when I started rebelling as a young addult and expressing interest in things he dissagreed with. The parental disapointment is something that aches when all your trying to do is explore being a person.

It hits so hard when you're an only child who grew up with a religious over protective mother who ressents you fot not bringing a husband home yet , while not allowing you to flirt with guys.

1:17:12 "One could see the art of ballet as an allegory for the female experience itself. From the outside looking in, the art of ballet is delicate, beautiful and dainty, the ultimate feminine art form- though closer examination will reveal the pain underneath: the skipped dinners and bloodied feet, the endless rehearsal tears, the ever-present, haunting fear of not being good enough, of being replaced, of being anything short of perfect. The ballerina, in spite of her cracked toenails, can maintain the illusion of effortlessness as she elegantly glides across the stage with a smile on her face. Like ballet, womanhood is bleeding in isolation, skipped meals and a masking of one's pain behind a smile, all in pursuit of idealized perfection. To be perceived as a beautiful woman, is to perform."

you have no idea how bad I needed this video essay LOLOL I've been WAITINGGG for someone to be brave enough to actually dissect the themes in this movie relating to femininity, rather than just perfectionism. The comparison to The Dance of the Little Swans fully floored me

As a psychologist, this movie is both fascinating and deeply upsetting on a personal level. I work with children and young adults mostly, and while many of the young women I work with aren't like Nina, many of them are emotionally suppressed and are often dragged into my office after their parents force them to see me. They don't think there is anything wrong with them, that they are fine, when many times, unfortunately, they are not. Nina is infantilized, stuck in the place that many of my peers and I would call the 5th stage of psychological development at best, which is normally regulated for teenagers, not women in their 20's. Erik Erikson described this stage as being one where the person is in conflict with the idea of identity vs. role confusion. In a normal development, a teenager would find out their own unique role in the world around them and still maintain their individuality and their own personality. However, Nina has been basically brainwashed to the point where she doesn't know who she is outside of ballet and what her mother's expectations for her should be. Nina should have had friends, interests outside of ballet, and something resembling balance. This is not the case, to put it mildly. Not trying to insult single mothers at all, I have worked with many lovely and healthy women who are single mothers, but Nina's mother makes me want to violate the Hippocratic Oath with extreme prejudice. I see many people like Nina's mother in my work, entitled, selfish, and bitter women who try to force their children to be what they wanted to be, so they could live vicariously through them. Professionally, it's devastating to a child's self-worth and is one of the unhealthiest things anyone can do. Unprofessionally, it's beyond selfish and pathetic. While I can't technically officially give Nina therapy, for obvious reasons, if she were my client, I might recommend that she try new experiences, make some friends, and try to find a passion outside of ballet. The scene with Lily and Nina in the club might be the healthiest place Nina has ever been in, psychologically, which is really sad to say. Making friends, having fun, and exploring her sexuality (my head canon is that Nina is either bisexual or bicurious but has been so repressed that she shoves down those feelings too.) are all normal and healthy things to do, provided that they are done safely. Kissing your fellow dancer? If it's consensual on both sides, not a big deal. Willingly taking drugs? Big no-no, but if it's "just" that one time, shouldn't cause too much damage. Hallucinating having sex with your fellow dancer in a drug and alcohol induced fever dream? Not a great sign. The treatment I would recommend is fairly straightforward: get Nina out of Swan Lake immediately, take her to an institution, high risk to be on the safe side, and introduce her to likeminded people her age (Lily would be ideal, and she might be willing to help, as I think that she is a genuinely good person.). After that, cognitive behavioral therapy, possibly medication, inpatient treatment, and years and years of therapy to help her grow up properly. This video does a great job of showing the black and the white, and I need to emphasize how important the "grey" is. Nina isn't the Madonna, and she isn't the mistress, she's Nina, a young woman who needs serious help. I don't normally recommend this, but in my opinion, she needs a patient's gown, not a leotard. I normally hate the idea of placing anyone in a facility, as I think that for many people it can do more harm than good, but in Nina's case, she needs it. I mean, she stabs herself with a shard of glass and is so dissociated from reality that she doesn't even realize it until multiple minutes later. Women are in the "grey" here, and I can't emphasize enough the need to have proper mental health services in the entertainment industry. Also, Thomas can go deep-throat a saguaro cactus. Thanks for reading my comment and have a great day!

To this day I'm convinced that Nina's mom SAed her. A lot of it can be explained through her mom wanting to take her bodily autonomy away from her and infantilize her, but when she comes into her room and says: "Are you ready for me?".... It gives me the chills. Also, the making her lick the frosting off of her finger is creepy af and adds to my belief.

When my partner and I watched Black Swan together for the 1st time, she expressed how horrified she felt throughout its entirety but still praised it for how good it was. And now, it sits on our shelf collecting dust because neither of is has the nerves to experience it again.

Have you ever watched "Perfect Blue" by Satoshi Kon? 'Black Swan" seems to be heavily influenced by it and also explores the Madonna and the Mistress concept.

Nina is 26 years old in the movie, while the most common age for a professional dancer is 20 to 30 years old; she is in a kind of now or never state of mind therefore.

Idk if anyone has mentioned this, but in the bar scene Lily she makes fun of Beth for believing Thomas when he called her his “little princess” and Nina tries to defend him by saying that the pet name is only for Beth and he would never use it for someone else, then at the end of the movie he calls Nina his "little princess". She had previously shown that she thought of Beth as perfect and I think that Thomas calling her that was the last block to fully complete her vision of perfection. Loved your analysis

Beautifully done. I especially appreciated the discussion about how young women get pitted against each other (Nina vs. Lily) or they develop fixations (not sure if they want to kill, kiss, or be her). It's a much more nuanced view and I hadn't considered the more white swan characteristics Lily shows that are easily interpreted (or misinterpreted) as being malicious.

Does anyone else notice the colors of the apartment? The constant green and pink? It's like the mother represents green and Nina (and also ballet) are represented by pink. In Nina's room there's hints of green that feels like her mother asserting herself into her personal life. Like her bedroom.

"She has no time to investigate her madness" relatable. 😂😂 😢and what an amazing piece this video is, thank you

As sad as I feel for Nina, I feel bad for Lily as well. I think she saw how Nina was suffering, and tried to reach out and befriend her. But of course she's not equipped to handle someone going through psychosis. I imagine she feels shock and guilt in the end.

It was extremely important to me and my husband that our daughter from very early in life that she alone owns her body, and that we will not shame her or stop her from growing up. We’ve discussed growing up with her. She knows it’s normal. She just turned 14, and we know she’s got Black Swan elements as well as White Swan. A parent’s job is to help guide our children toward adulthood, and stopping them results in secrecy and resentment. Our daughter talks to us. We embrace all sides of her, and are honored that she discusses her thoughts and feelings with us, as well as asks for advice and input on things many parents prefer to think their kids know nothing about. We’re proud of her.

This was such a good essay. I loved the connection you made to the Tiktok trends dedicated to contrasting two different "camps" of women. On one level, that stuff can be harmless fun, but on another level it can lead to creating false links between personality/behavior and looks. These trends could play a part in forcing women into the Madonna or Whore roles based on their looks.

One thing that they either left out or didn’t know is that, in ballet companies, they don’t just pick random company members to fill in for the staring role. Lily must have been the understudy for the swan queen otherwise she would not have known the steps and would not have been used as a backup. Also Nina would have to be a pretty high rank in the company in order to get a role like that. It seems like she got a new promotion from soloist to principal dancer after Beth’s retirement. That doesn’t necessarily mean she will always get the main role but she wouldn’t be in a small role.

If you have any issues with face blindness this movie offers 60% less dimension I knew she was paranoid but I missed like… every single time that a face was supposed to look like her/actually WAS her. Knowing all that I missed the movie is almost TOO obvious now 💀 but it is impressive that they cast so many talented women who looked similar.

I haven't watched this movie in a good decade-ish, but last time I watched it, I had this idea that your video reminded me of. One of the times Erica is "comforting" Nina, she says she certainly understands the pressures a ballerina is put under as she ages, insuniuating she herself was an older ballerina at one point. Then, during that living room scene, Nina makes her comments about "what career" and that her mom was "only" something, after confirming Erica had been 28 - together that paints a picture of an aging Erica that was a corps/ensemble dancer and never a prima, and was getting to the point where because of that age, she'd never progress. So I've thought perhaps Erica didn't really have Nina accidentally, but rather claimed to have done so as an excuse to retire from a ballet career that wasn't actually going anywhere. Or that maybe if she didn't actively attempt to get pregnant, she subconsciously self-sabotaged by not using protection so she'd have an "out," as it were. The way she constantly throws her pregnancy in Nina's face would still track especially if it was the latter, as she would've easily resented Nina for "ending" her career. And even with the former, if she intentionally got pregnant, she's had twenty+ years to sell the lie to everyone, including herself, so she may have even convinced herself it was an accident. The way she weaponizes how she got pregnant speaks to some really screwed up emotions around it, either way. Probably more a wild conspiracy theory than anything else, but Erica is very much a narcissistic abuser, and warping reality to suit their victim/martyr picture of themselves is textbook behavior. I rewatched some scenes before commenting, too, just to double check, and Erica reminds me very much of some of the worst people in my life, and I can speak from personal experience that they remember things factually wrong to feed their narratives. So I dunno, it just seems plausible to me that Nina wasn't an accidental pregnancy, but one Erica planned for attention, praise, and to further her notion that she's a paragon of Goodness and Sacrifice and Nobility and whatnot. Anyway, keep up the awesome work!

I've noticed that men & women have drastically different reactions to this movie (for the most part). I've heard several men, my husband included, refer to it as trippy, elevated horror- specifically body horror that's designed to make you cringe. And while that isn't entirely untrue, I've heard multiple women describe it as a realistic, authentic symbol of women's life experiences. Basically, a lot of men see this as something that's meant to be surreal & scary, while women see it as a true depection of reality, which is especially interesting given how so much of it is an obvious hallucination. And every single woman I've discussed this movie with mentions her the last shot when Nina happily saying "I was perfect" which is obviously more important to her than a potentially fatal wound. That's actually why I clicked on this video to begin with. It's interesting. And although the madonna/whore foil is thousands of years old, it's still wild that a bunch of dudes wrote this.

Don't rlly write comments often, but to Final Girl Studios, I wanna say thank you. Thank you for your bravery and the articulate, careful nature with which you share these thoughts on a topic, that I believe, as humans, should try our best to understand: that topic being each other. Being a human is hard enough, and what more the topics, trials, and tribulations one goes through as a woman, the woman being a complex, beautiful, thoughtful, emotional being, who carries weights, burdens, hopes and dreams whose vision of themselves, influenced by a plethora of things and people and circumstances that, as a man, i could never imagine. Defo not the audience for this video, but as a person who admires excellence and the freedom of expression, which I think your videos embody amazingly, I applaud your work. From a creative to another creative, you have my applause..

Nina’s relationship with her mother reminds me of Jennette McCurdy’s relationship with her mother, as she expressed in her book. Jennette’s mom wanted to stunt her from becoming a woman, both physically and mentally wanting her to stay a child for as long as possible with the excuse being that she wanted her to get more child acting roles. She proceeded to project her own insecurities and disorders, instigating the start of Jennette’s eating disorder and shifting the conversation whenever Jennette was curious or confused about that and many other topics. Throughout her entire life Jennette’s mom acted like Nina’s, crying and screaming when she felt like Jennette was even remotely going against what she wanted. The cake scene reminds me of the part of the book when Jennette’s mom took her out to get ice cream for them to share, and Jennette gets the courage to tell her she wants a different flavor, but her mom begins to cry and be so upset because she ALWAYS wants the flavor she chooses. She never cared about what Jennette wanted, she just wanted to live vicariously through her daughter and would always tell her that she was lucky to be an actor (something she pushed for her to do) because she never got that opportunity. It’s sad that mothers ruin their daughter’s girlhood just because they may have lost their own and are too afraid to talk about how navigating the world of womanhood is so devastating and terrifying, but there’s still beauty in being a woman. Women are allowed and should embrace all parts of what it means to be a woman, even the “childish” and innocent parts we miss. Women aren’t one dimensional and never have been.

Fantastic deep dive. One thing you didn't mention is Nina's disordered eating. It's another way that she struggles with her bodily autonomy - her body is "owned" by her mother, her choreographer, the costume department... and she attempts to control it and make it "perfect" through disordered eating and purging. That plays in to the scene where her mother makes her the cake and cuts her a big slice. She tries to maintain control over the one thing she can (what she eats) but even that autonomy is taken away from her. EDs can also result in delayed puberty.

i think another important aspect to discuss is nina’s eating disorder and how it relates to her perfectionism as well as her mother’s obsession with nina’s girlhood. her eating disorder can be seen as an attempt at staying childlike, which would please nina’s mother, as well as her perfectionism both within and outside of ballet. i think eating disorders can also be looked at through the white swan/black swan lens, as on the surface they are mental illnesses striving for beauty, grace, innocence, and frailty, but are actually incredibly dark and insidious-even deadly. just another layer to how nina has a white swan exterior with black swan motives.

I just wanna point out how in the final scene Nina isn't concerned that she's bleeding after her performance she's only concerned with how her performance was perfect. It relates that idea of a woman reaching her prime and how she can only be preserved in her prime youthful state only if she dies. Growing past this stage would only lead to the inevitable aging and her losing her appeal. Just like how butterflies are preserved in death in their beautiful young and vibrant state so they can be pinned into perfect picture frames before they age and die their natural course. Well it's just my take.

i remember when I first watched this movie and thought it was such an interesting and haunting story. Especially when this destructive mindset of "perfection" can be seen in so many people in real life. Sadly, many people don't accept or understand that objective perfection is not something that exists

Great analysis! One thing I noticed also was when Nina's mother is undressing her she takes off Nina's earrings and asks her where she got them saying they look real, Nina says they're fake and she says "coulda fooled me" implying that Nina must have done something to get them and thus get the part...like she's not actually good enough on her own. Also, I'm sure a 1000 other ppl have said it but, Nina literally means little girl in spanish while Lily is a play off Lilith, the first woman ejected from Eden for being too unruly.

That's so true from the surface ballet looks dainty, weak, girly. The embodiment of femininity. But the qualities needed to persevere in it are considered to be masculine. A hard core surrounded by soft shell. And the whole masculine vs feminine traits concept crumbles like a house of cards. Because doing ballet requires "masculine" qualities. But it's somehow considered a feminine art.

That scene where Nina destroys her stuffed animals is almost a complete replication of Selina Kyle's own breakdown from "Batman Returns". After her boss tries to murder her, Selina returns to her apartment, has a complete mental meltdown, and remakes herself into Catwoman, an overtly sexual woman who is unafraid to speak her mind and cause trouble. The first thing she does during that scene is destroy her stuffed animals by shredding them in the garbage disposal. It seems to be a thing or female characters that deciding whether or not to keep "childish" things is an essential key to discovering their identities. Sometimes, they choose to keep them, like in Jim Henson's "Labyrinth". Sara, the main character, keeps relics of her childhood, stating that she needs them now and again. In most of these films, however, like "Black Swan" and "Batman Returns", the women completely reject those childish items, seeing them as obstacles holding them back. Inversely, we get movies like "Hook" and "Christopher Robin" where the male leads have to rediscover their inner child in order to reclaim their identities. These are all older, sexually mature men with jobs, wives, and children, men who drink too much, work too much, and are tired and beaten down by the expectations of society. As they reach rock bottom, the very childish things that they discarded seek them out and drag them back to their childhoods. In doing so, the men regain some of their lost optimism and energy, and they gain the courage to stand up to the societal powers that are beating them down. I really wish we had a movie like that with a female lead, where an older woman beaten down by life is rescued by the childish things she gave up rather than having her give them up in order to succeed.

Whenever I need a moment to vent my frustrations with our patriarchial society, I watch your vids and go "UH HUH EXACTLY!!"🤣

If anyone is curious about the angel-like statue from the gala, the statue is named Future Clone and made by Fritz Scholder a Native American artist from the La Jolla Band of Luiseno Indians from California.

girl you have done it again, constantly raising the bar for us all

"Not knowing if you want to kill her, kiss her, or be her." This is such an interesting line and I think it explains so much

this is my roman empire and this is what was so needed in the analysis of this brilliant film. im sure u've seen this too, an interpretation of this film being about an artist striving for perfection through self-desctruction. as an artist, i always loved this interpretation and thought of it to be the best one, but your video is the last puzzle piece that was so needed! i love how many more women add their own interpretations of media lately and it shocks me how little i pay attention to the gender aspect of movies even though i've experienced all of it too! brilliant, amazing, beautiful graphic design and font choices! you did amazing ❤

I really liked Lily’s character, but a lot of people in the comment section seem to be forgetting that she literally spiked Nina’s drink. She doesn’t even deny it when confronted about it.

I'm not sure if it was intentional or not but, to me the ballet director acts as both the prince and Rothbart. He is the one who takes control of the lives of the swans and thus, just like Rothbart in the ballet, he is the one directing the black swan and the one who puts the spell on the white swan. The prince wants to be with the white swan, but doesn't really see her. He is enamored by the purity of the white swan, even fetishizing it, but immediately lusts after the black swan. The ballet director is a total creep, assaulting the dancers while also calling them his little princess. He infantalizes them, fetishizes them and harrasses them in almost every way. He discarts the previous swan as soon as she stops being of use to him. ALSO! The Swan Lake ballet actually has more than one ending, with one of them being the prince killing the white swan before realizing his mistake. He shoots her and she dies. And before the final performance it is the director that also deals his own finishing blow with the "The only one standing in your way is you" line. To me this shows both endings: the white swan taking her own life and the prince hurting her. Both have the prince realize his mistake too late.

I think it's incredibly smart that Natalie Portman's character was named Nina since it means "little girl" in Spanish: I think it drives even more that Nina is supposed to be child-like and innocent, yet her actions progressively become more of the Black Swan, aka she's becoming a woman.

it's also a loop: beth replaced by nina. nina replaced by lily. the black swan assuming the white swan role and then being replaced by another black swan (remember the swan babies are always born in dark shades first and then they turn white.)

it's the way I wrote in my dairy yesterday how bad I feel about not being "good enough" and how there is always going to be someone "better than me" at everything, whether it's just one person or one person for each thing I wish I was "better" or "perfect" at. this made me feel a little bit better. it's a classic case of "yeah, turns out I'm not alone" but these feelings are not something I can, as of now, talk about with anyone around me because 1. I don't feel ready to share them and 2. Should I even share them? therefore it's not easy to see if there is someone else who feels this way. deep down I feel every woman feels this way, but every girl and woman keeps it inside, a never-ending battle they fight with only themselves. I get caught up in looking at all the scars and bloodshed from that inner battle to realize how many wounded women are also around me. and I'll admit it's hard not to, not because I don't have sympathy and don't want fellow women and girls to have comfort and feel at ease with themselves, or because I am throwing myself a pity party, but because everyone woman, myself included, hides that battle, that bloodshed, and rusty, scraped armor. as we feel like we have to pretend to be the princess waiting for her knight or the witch watching from the sidelines. and any look into the inner self that doesn't align with that, we scramble to fix it, or ignore it, or rationalize it, or anything besides accepting it.

It's always a good day when Winx Club is mentioned.

Now THIS essay reflects what I saw in the film as a woman. Not a struggle for perfection. Thank you for this feminine analysis on the film.

I remember my mom taking me out of the theater when "the lesbian scene" came on 😂 if that ain't ironic poetry

Absolutely incredible analysis! I also think it's really interesting that the same things that were said about Nina's bedroom (an extension of herself, etc) can be said about her dressing room. Since ballet is so all-encompassing of Nina's life, her dressing room functions as a second bedroom in a sense and we see Nina's career as a ballerina portrayed in her dressing room (replaceable Beth, the fear of being taken over by Lily). And as she destroys herself and by extension her career. she destroys her dressing room- the same way Beth does when told she's forced to retire.

I’m sorry, you talked about dressing as either a princess or a witch for Halloween, and I just remembered that I dressed like a cat and a hippo in a tutu, lol. Also, My favorite Disney princess movie was Snow White, because of the dwarfs and the sparkly jewel mine they worked in, not the princess. I think I’ve always subconsciously chosen the secret third option: goofy mascot character.

Hi. I used a quote from your website for a presentation on women in horror that you inspired. I just wanted to say thank you for all that you do as it has really inspired me to critically think of media that I consume.

I remember when the movie came out and I was practically shouted down by my school friends for suggesting that Nina was more of a black swan than Lily. This video was vindication, I felt like a fool, then.

I saw Black Swan only once, and it shook me. I am not a dancer, but I was an academic perfectionist, due to having a learning disability and a strong desire to be respected and go to a decent college. Now, I have a niece who is graduating high school this spring, and she seems to sail through her classes. Seeing her experience makes me wonder why I tortured myself the way I did.

This is one of my favourite movies and there are no video essays discussing and analysing it in such depth. It made me notice some imagery i had overlooked even though i have watched the movie multiple times. I always saw bits and pieces of myself in nina, my struggle with an eating disorder for almost three years now, the constant need to be perfect being the only child in a strict household and navigating my identity as someone who is bisexual.This movie really helped me empathise with myself and made me realise the consequences of being extremely controlling over one's image. I was wondering when this will be uploaded on your substack as i'd love to read it too.

Beautifully done 🎉🎉🎉 sometimes I come to these videos as a cleanser from intense misogyny online. You're like a lifeline back to reality x

This mom is off the rocker for treating her daughter like this

Omg my dream become true, you are talking abut Black Swan

Impressively well researched and thought through. Black Swan is one of my top 3 favourite films. I'd highly recommend watching Perfect Blue, too, a deeply unsettling psycho horror anime that was a very obvious source of inspiration for Aronofsky

This video is so freeing. What an intricate and intelligent take, loved this!

Ooh my gosh, im so happy someone is talking about this. I did a huge thesis presentation of the Madonna Whore Complex for my class with Black Swan as the example! This is so cool!

I found Winona absolutely incredible in this role. She made my heart hurt, with her pain!

Wow... Just wow. This analysis gave me goosebumps. If I had the financial means, I would donate to this channel. It's a gold mine of insight, and it has helped me understand my own womanhood and issues with it, too. Happy new year 🎉

I don't know, I'm kind of tired of the dichotomy between the Black swan equaling the seductress, the adult woman, and the white swan meaning innocence. I can see elements that are dark even in childhood, the chaos, the lack of self-control, the greed, the self-absorption, and then there's also grace and purity in finally becoming an adult woman, having more self-awareness and being kinder to yourself. I would be interested in seeing an inversion of the black swan vs white swan dichotomy because in many ways it's based on the make gaze and misogynistic views of womanhood. But I think the female gaze has an opportunity here to view things the other way around, that girls who are thrown into a male dominated world start out as black swans (and remember I'm breaking from the idea that the black swan equates to sexuality but more so chaos, a lack of understanding, an imitation rather than the real thing) but then gradually learn to become a white swan. The thought isn't fully developed but there's something there.

black swan is one of my all time favorite movies, thank you so much for your analysis!!!!!

Loved this, the degree of care & nuance you treat your female subjects-fictional and otherwise alike-with, is admirable. So this is not a critique of this essay specifically as I think it was very well constructed but rather a more broad reflection that I do think is something to consider perhaps for those who may be unaware. I know it’s a tired film nerd point but it is absolutely true that Black Swan is essentially just Perfect Blue with the serial numbers filed off (people call it an “adaptation” but clearly Aronofsky was upset about not being given the rights to the film so that definitely colored how he went about the story). Given this, I do wish that we got nearly half as many in-depth essays about it, as we do for this film. Yes Black Swan is an excellent film that does bring something somewhat new to the table in terms of the inclusion of the more overt reference to the “black swan” vs. “white swan” dynamic-and Portman gives an amazing performance as Nina. However, this relatability is present in Perfect Blue, just in more subtle ways I suppose. The trappings and performance of womanhood is the crux of the story. While I would say that it certainly does hone in more on the psycho-horror aspects of the story than Black Swan that I understand may put off some viewers, especially other women, there is much to be parsed from the many interpretations that could be taken from it. Even more so than in Black Swan. Whether you see Rumi as a real person or as more of a metaphorical symbol is one interpretation for example. Mima’s troubles are certainly very gendered, drawing similarities to the case of Björk’s stalker as well. I can’t help but ask if most Western audiences don’t know or just don’t bother with Perfect Blue bc it is animated and they would have to read subtitles. I wonder whether if Black Swan was animated if audiences would care as much as they do? Not to sound like Guillermo Del Toro but animation, especially from non-western nations, is truly undervalued and seen as a “lesser” or more “confusing” art form than stuff with “real ppl”. Not to mention the fact that, at least in my opinion, Perfect Blue’s presentation of female sexuality and victimhood is a bit more nuanced & would complicate the view on the topic that many women seem to hold. Part of me does believe that Nina Sayers being an American white woman positions her as a sort of “blank canvas” for the, namely, white women/girls watching to see themselves in. As opposed to Mima Kirigoe who is a Japanese woman. Once again I don’t want to make it seem like Black Swan lovers are the antichrist or “stupid” ofc but rather to question what we decide to invest our time in & why. Very long winded & i prolly have a typo or two so my apologies lol!

perfect blue perfectly portrays a lot of these themes in a genuinely terrifying and disturbing way

Ericka’s relationship with Nina reminds me of Yolanda Hadid’s relationship with her daughters

This is an excellent take! I feel like in addition to being emotionally manipulative and controlling, Nina’s mother also seems to be terrified of Nina’s mental state. It feels like hints are dropped throughout that Nina has suffered some other type of mental break previously. Her mother mentions something about digging out an expensive coverup that they had once used before, presumably the last time Nina started scratching her self. It’s like the ouroboros, the more Nina pushes away, the tighter her mother holds, the tighter she holds, the more Nina seems to slip away from reality, the more that happens, the more her believes she must hold tighter.

I wish I could thumbs up this a hundred times. It was so beautifully satisfying to listen to someone outline everything I've ever thought about this movie, esp how it relates to femininity. I love this movie & have seen it many times, and I will always argue that it's not "about" insanity or perfectionism, as if those are optional and abnormal, but how being female in our world IS self-torture and madness. Bravo!!!!

This was so very interesting, I found every argument so pertinent and I’ll keep this in my mind! Made me understand the femininity struggle so much better even as a fellow woman ! This is one of the best psychological analysis video i’ver even seen!

The parallel between this movie and Jennette McCurdy’s biography is actually terrifying

The intelligence on every level that went into this video is astounding !!! Thank you so much to Final Girl Studio’s for your deciphering take on this topic. Not only to just this movie but the original ballet and how it plays into femininity and womanhood. I really enjoyed your take and my whole being is defiantly more aware of the things that you shine a light on❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

i literally cried with this video, the process of a girl transforming into a woman is painful. watching this i realized that I've been coded as a wh0re before I could be a woman. i think all of us females can relate to nina to a certain extent ...

I have to say that the movie Pretty Woman had a huge influence on me. I saw it when I was 6. My mom would tell me to close my eyes on the "bad" scenes. But I still saw that whole movie regardless. After that I literally thought I wanted to be a prostitute. I thought things would go just like it did for Vivian. Luckily as I grew up I realized I did not want to ever be a prostitute, but I played the whole femme fatale troupe in my late teens and early 20s. I did end up meeting my husband though and we've been married for 16 years now. My ideas on being overtly sexy outside of the bedroom has changed quite a bit since my 20s.

Excellent to see the womanhood take. And to see three foils for Nina's arc ✨

I'm getting obsessed with your videos, they are starting to make me change how I view myself and even how I was growing up as a child

I never thought Lilly existed… I always thought she was who the main character wanted to be…. We are watching the film through the main character’s perspective…. But I loved this video!!

black swan is one of my favourite movies of all time and this video puts so many of my thoughts on it so excellently into words! thank you for your work

I ALWAYS appreciate how detailed and thorough all your videos are. I can only imagine how much time and thought went into creating this video, from a concept to a finished product.... so much hard work. and it really paid off!! amazing video as usual. Thank you for your spot on analysis. I always knew the movie was deeply symbolic but never knew what it meant, and now I do thanks to you.

this was so well written and so interesting to watch, i can't wait to watch more of your video essays !!!!! the thought and care you pour into your videos is so wonderful to see

This describes my life so much my struggle with my sexuality and femininity and the innocence it feels like parts of me are fighting each other.

OMG FINALGIRLSTUDIOS MAKING A BLACK SWAN VIDEO?? LOSING MY SHIT Anyway, as a Native person I felt this dichotomy even harder especially considering the oversexualized stereotypes of Native girls and women and my queerness, disabilities and neurodivergencies made that even harder! Tysm 🥺💕✨

one of the best video essays that i have ever watched. 10/10

Your videos has helped me so much as a young woman, you articulate perfectly what I can't express on the inside, thank you so much for what you do

I love that it's becoming increasingly popular feminist movie analysis video essays like it just makes sense for certain media to analyze it like that. Where else am I supposed to hear someone agree about the struggles of womanhood too?

My favorite movie. I completly understand what it feels to have a controling mother. And how it fades away any chance of being yourself. Its hard to break free. Its like they cut your "wings" and you can fly. Or like in the movie you lost your leg so you can runaway.

Phenomenal video on a phenomenal movie. The last I watched this movie, I was a teen in college and cried at the harsh pursuit of perfection. And could only relate to feeling satisfaction despite “dying” in the process. This video reveals a whole new layer that I now at 25 deeply resonate with. Thank you for your incredibly well researched video, really added a new bittersweet love of the Black Swan and Portman’s performance!

I loved this movie when I was a girl. Now I know why. It's one of the greatest movies about the female experience ever made. You did an amazing job analysing it.

!!!! this is so brilliant! great job :)) also mentioning the comment of “where’s my sweet girl” has given me another context in viewing how girls like myself were heavily restricted and punished during adolescence when asserting independence or exploring their sexuality. I hadn’t thought yet of its correlation to the madonna whore complex. also love the quotes you chose !

What a powerful video-essay. Thank you. We often are our own worst enemies, to the point we can easily mistake the Lily in our life, (whom I perceived to be trying to help and genuinely be a friend to Nina) to be our competitor. To envy how they keep calm and collected whilst you are burning up inside with self-doubt and loathing.

So glad this video came way. Beautifully put and highlights why this movie is so brilliant. Girlhood and womanhood are hell, this movie and video essay really show how messed up it all is for us 😢

I saw this movie a long time ago, but I’m more shook by your analysis than I was back then! I think rewatching it now would be great. This breakdown was REALLY good and elevates the film above mere entertainment. Great work.

Yes the movie makes it sound like its impossible to play odile and odette at the same time, but in the ballet its basically always the same ballerina who plays them both that way the audience is convinced that odile looks like odette, they changed this in the movie for the purpose of story telling but it isn't accurate at all, amazing video though I learned so much from this thankyou!

So wild that I watched this for the first time in 10 years and you made this masterpiece in current time. I had assumed this video was from years ago. Really admire the work you put into this!

finally a deep dive into black swan! ive been wanting a proper long video essay on this amazing film for YEARS. it's my second favourite film of all time

This totally seems like it could have been a Kubric film to me. aronofsky is a true talent - I cannot even bring myself to watch Requiem for a Dream again. It’s too traumatizing. Black Swan is an amazing film thankfully I can watch multiple times 😂