Black Swan Review Series: “Where is Your Mother, Nina?“ The Nonexistent Mother Theory and the Female "Psycho"

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By Rob San Miguel       

(First published on February 16, 2011 in “The Chair.” Updated: 2012)

(Spoiler Alert) 

One of the most intriguing interpretations of Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” is that Nina’s mother, Erica Sayers (outstandingly portrayed by Barbara Hershey) does not exist.  She is Nina’s creation along with all the other doppelgangers inhabiting Nina’s psyche.  This theory may be a stretch for some but Aronofsky’s tricky and calculated direction laid open the film into various interpretations.  The film has enough ambiguities to entertain even far-fetched notions.  If Nina’s mother truly did not exist, then “Black Swan” may be darker than it claims and Nina may be more psychologically splintered than most of us earlier speculated.   What proof do we have to substantiate this theory?

Black Swan Review Series: Dark Perfection, “The Internal Process of the Performer”

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First published on February 16, 2011 in “The Chair.” Written by Rob San Miguel

“Art is a guarantee of sanity. That is the most important thing I have said.”

Louise Bourgeois

“She’s insane,” as many moviegoers may assume.  Within the confines of dark theaters all over the world, some of us may take the easiest explanation and simply place Nina, the Swan Queen, in the loony basket along with her putrid eggs and frayed white and black feathers soiled with blood.  Nevertheless, if you dare to see Nina in the eyes of an obsessive perfectionist artist, Nina is nothing but insane. She is, in fact, the most rational of all the ballet dancers in the “Black Swan” ensemble because she knows exactly what must be done to get everything “perfect.”  Put yourself in her shoes, figuratively speaking, and you might comprehend her motivation.  One must understand that a true artist is brazen and has no sense of self-preservation for the sake of his or her craft.  Most artists, especially performance artist like actors and dancers, rely on superficial camouflage to highlight their transformation into their characters. Sometimes, the deceit works and we see more of the mask rather than the real transformation.  I am sure you have watched countless actors who thought that by merely looking like the characters, their job is done.