His deal with Grace included his share of the ransom money Britgaz paid in exchange for the train hostages, which amounted to around half a billion dollars. Movies, TV, video games, and comics are constantly rattling around in his brain,…. Skip to main content area. Photo: Sky Cinema. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!
The company's director Thomas springs an unannounced audition for the role of the Swan Queen, which requires the dancer to portray both the virginal White Swan, Odette, and the sensual Black Swan, Odile. Nina is one of the dancers selected to try out, and as the White Swan, she excels.
When Nina is interrupted in her Black Swan audition by new dancer Lily, played by Mila Kunis , she panics and flubs the whole audition. At home, she rehearses the choreography she stumbled through, but cracks her big toenail in half.
Her mom admonishes her for pushing too hard, and says how unfair it is that Thomas would call auditions without giving anyone time to prepare. The next day, Nina puts on a see-through shirt and red lipstick, trying to convince Thomas she's right for the role.
He disagrees, saying all he sees "is the White Swan. Shortly after, Nina is shocked to see that he has cast her as the Swan Queen. The other company dancers are as surprised as she is, and draw the worst conclusions: When Nina comes out of the restroom, the word "WHORE" is written on the mirror in red lipstick.
Back at Nina's apartment, we discover just how unhealthily obsessed Erica is with her daughter: Her bedroom is filled with terrible portraits she's made of Nina through the years. Erica tries to celebrate Nina's casting by guilting her daughter into eating cake. The scratch on Nina's back is seen, grown far deeper and more serious. On Nina's first day of Swan Queen rehearsals, she's moved to a shared dressing room for lead dancers.
Thomas praises Nina's work as the White Swan, but says she still needs major work to pull of the Black Swan. Later, Thomas and Nina watch Lily dancing. Imprecise, but effortless. She's not faking it," he says, shaming Nina through comparison. Thomas organizes a gala to say goodbye to Beth and introduce Nina as the new Swan Lake lead.
Beth is furious and makes no secret of it. Taking a break from the party in the bathroom, Nina notices she has a hangnail. She pulls on it; it tears and bleeds profusely. But when someone knocks on the bathroom door, the injury disappears. Thomas invites Nina back to his place and as she waits for him, an enraged Beth accuses Nina of sleeping her way to the top. Later, to get her to loosen up, Thomas gives Nina a "homework assignment," telling her to explore her sexuality on her own.
At home, Nina's mom helps her undress and sees the wound on her back is worse. I thought you were done with this, Nina! Nina wakes the next morning looking stressed. She tries to finish Thomas' "assignment," but realizes her mother is sleeping in her room. This is not a good start to the day, and Nina struggles in rehearsal. Her day gets worse when she finds out Beth has walked into incoming traffic and is badly injured, an incident that took place just after their gala confrontation.
Thomas comforts her, but Nina is spiraling. Nina decides to go visit Beth in the hospital and is horrified by the state of her injuries, including Beth's devastated right leg. Back at work, Thomas is losing patience with his White Swan. Let it go! He sends home the male leads and tries to infuse some passion into Nina's dancing by making out with her. He cruelly says, "That was me seducing you, when it needs to be the other way around.
Nina insists Lily doesn't understand. At home, Nina is having more breaks with reality as she sees blood in her bathwater that isn't actually there. The wound on her back is growing.
Nina cuts her finger on purpose and seems to delight in the act. Thomas' verbal abuse escalates. Nina confronts a dismissive Lily, and her paranoia grows that Lily wants her part. On the subway home, an elderly man sexually harasses Nina and instead of moving away from him, she just watches. At home, Nina's mom asks whether Thomas had "tried anything with her," and they have a huge fight about Erica's life choices.
Erica claims Nina ruined her career, and she doesn't want the same thing to happen to her. Angry, Nina reminds her mother that she was 28 when she got pregnant and had aged out of ballet anyway. Exercising control, Erica demands that Nina take her shirt off so she can check the wound on her back.
Right at the height of their conflict, Lily comes to the apartment to apologize and Nina leaves with her, even though their dress rehearsal is the next day. Nina realizes that Lily is also getting measured for the same. Lily explains that she is just an alternative and that it was only just in case. That making Lily her alternative Nina will fight harder.
Thomas had seen how Nina first came to meet him dolled up when it looked like she might not get the role. This pure speculation. Nina begs Thomas to make someone else her alternate as she feels Lily is trying to steal her role. Thomas assures her that she had her breakthrough and the opening day she will shine. Later after practice, she sees someone in the shadows. She imagines Rothbart making out with Veronica. She goes to meet Beth, and Beth starts stabbing herself with a nail file.
Nina is pretty much losing her mind and is seeing herself as projections. She goes home and sees visions of a bleeding Beth, and the artwork start talking and laughing at her. Her mother tries to calm Nina down, but she shuts her self and slams the door. Nina hallucinates feathers coming out of her rash, imagines her legs breaking at the knees to look like swan legs , and eventually falls down knocking herself unconscious.
Nina wakes up with her mother on the side comforting her saying that she was scratching all night. Nina becomes furious and crushes her mother hands to get to the doorknob and leaves. She heads to the theatre and Lily is surprised Nina is in given she was sick. Nina is now calm and composed. Thomas is happy to see Nina this confident. He tells her that the only person standing in her way is herself. The show begins. Nina is highly distracted and as a result, gets dropped by her partner.
Thomas is furious. Yes, Lily is not actually here. Imaginary-Lily suggests that she should do the Black Swan as Nina will not be able to. Imaginary-Lily then transforms into a Dark-Nina. Nina stabs her doppelganger who turns back into Imaginary-Lily and dies. Nina hides the dead body, gets dressed for her Black Swan act and exits. She bashes herself against the mirror and eventually stabs herself. Her alternate personality takes over, and her metamorphosis is complete. The White Swan has become the Black Swan.
Before Thomas can say anything, she kisses him passionately. She completes her act, and we are shown her shadow to be a black swan. The audience is left cheering loudly. She puts a towel to stop the blood. We can see that there is no rash on her back, confirming these wounds are in her mind.
Suddenly, there is a knock on the door, and it turns out to be the real Lily who has come to congratulate Nina on the fantastic performance. Nina is confused and checks for the body, there is none. Then she finds a broken mirror stabbed in her stomach, and takes it out.
With the wound, Nina goes on to perform her last act. As expected she nails it and is loved by the audience. The White Swan falls to her death. We are shown her mother who looks on proudly, fearing for her daughter. As this happens, her wound grows, and she begins to bleed more. Which also means that one day she will be retired because of a younger ballerina. Nevertheless, Nina is in a trance. Thomas eventually notices the blood and calls for help.
All she has left to say is that she felt it, that it was perfect. What she wanted to achieve she has, but at the cost of her very life. Perhaps, but does it matter? Nina, the sweet girl, is gone for sure, metaphorically dead.
She might even spend the better part of her life in a mental institution. Her death, right after achieving her one goal is truly sad, but etches her as a brilliant performer in the hearts of the audience forever.
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