Black Swan (2010) Film Case Study

Film synopsis:

'A ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan - Princess Odette - but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile, the Black Swan. '

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£2,762,429 (UK) (21 January 2011)

Gross:

$106,952,327 (USA) (29 April 2011)

Runtime:

108 min

The film 'Black Swan' was a thrilling twist on the world-famous ballet Swan Lake. Two of the most recognisable actresses of modern cinema were featured- Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. Throughtout the film there is an expertly captured sense of tension, with emotional and physical progression shown through the main character of Nina. This film divided critics and audiences as the certificate rating of 15 seemed too low for the extent of self-harm and sexual scenes. Many expected a moderate film about ballet but were instead shocked into a terrifying tale of mental destruction of a perfectionist dancer. (Nethertheless 'Black Swan' achieved numerous awards such as an Oscar and Golden Globe.)

Darren Aronofsky created a genius thriller that was subtle yet shocking- this would be an ideal genre for my own film trailer. Many aspects used such as symbolism and mystery are areas I have taken to assist in making my own trailer.

The target audience of this film was widely spread as noone truly expected the nature of the film- however a great portion of females would have been intigued by the theme of ballet that features regularly. Also audiences who enjoy twist, turns and jumps would have enjoyed the thriller aspect. It encaptured mental helath issues such as schizophrenia and depression. Many would relate to the pressure of achieving ambitions however Nina's character shows a greatly warped drive for perfection.

The ending scene of the film is seemingly a cliffhanger and open to personal interepretation. Nina has realised that instead of stabbing Lily, as she had thought, she had infact stabbed herself. As in the original the white swan dies in order to free herself from her inner demon (the black swan). The screen fades to white with Nina fallen with blood leaking from her stomach, however the audience are never told if she lives or dies. This was intentially as interepretations can point to the final scene of the ballet is symbolic of Nina becoming a woman of her true identity- or that her perfectionist nature meant she intentially killed herself to match the role she felt she was born to play. Personally I prefer the latter as it is more fitting to the thriller genre and gives a shocking but necassary downfall of the main protagonist.

I believe the film was created to explore the depths of mental health problems and pressure individuals are exposed to. Similarly it is symbolic of a person finding their identity and coming into their own; shown thorugh Nina's exploration of her sexuality, talent and relationship with her Mother. The distributors- Fox Searchlight pictures, are perhaps the most renowned brands of the modern cinema market. They are an excellent example of a company that uses technology to a wide extent in order to achieve maximum convergence and synergy.