SCRIPT COVERAGE

Black Swan (2010)

Writer(s): Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, and John McLaughlin

Genre(s): Psychological Thriller, Drama
Setting/Period: Present Day, New York City
Page Count: 112 Pages
Verdict: PASS

SYNOPSIS
Nina, a ballerina living in NYC, dreams herself dancing the part of the White Swan before she
wakes – this as the opening image illustrates just how much ballet has consumed her. Leroy, the
ballet director, states the film’s thematic element when he explains how the pure virginal girl in
the story of Swan Lake finds freedom in death, foreshadowing what will happen to Nina herself.
The first act quickly sets up the situation and Nina’s desire: she’s just another face among the
hundreds of other ballerinas and wants the lead part of Swan Lake to stand out. However, she’s
too much of the White Swan – Nina also needs to embody the Black Swan to get the part. Her
denial comes in the form of Lily, a fellow ballerina who owns her sexuality and confidence, the
exact opposite of Nina. Nina gets the role after she refuses Leroy’s advances and bites him – she
had shown him a bit of her “Black Swan”. The “fun and games” begin as Nina’s mental
deterioration and increasing paranoia spiral out of control the deeper she immerses herself into
the role. All falls apart when she “catches” Leroy and Lily together after hours in the studio. The
day of the show, Nina stabs Lily with a piece of broken mirror after their physical confrontation
in the ballet studio. Nina gets on stage and transforms into an actual swan as she dances the role
of the Black Swan, wowing the crowd and Leroy. The climax occurs when Nina notices the
bleeding from her stomach – she didn’t stab Lily, but herself. She performs the final scene of
Swan Lake as the White Swan – Nina’s ecstatic at everyone’s praise until someone calls for help
when they notice the blood, and the film ends with Nina telling Leroy she was perfect.

COMMENTS
How Black Swan uses its opening to emphasize ballet’s hold over Nina’s consciousness and
waking life is an effective touch. Its usage of mirrors and reflections are also noteworthy – the
decision to have Nina interact with her reflection/doppelganger right in the first act rather than
later not only clues the audience of her mental fragility but also makes the decline of her mental
state in the end pay off better as a result.

The script isn’t overtly scary. However, there are moments where there is a sense of
uneasiness/wrongness that effectively characterizes the story as a thriller – an example is the
scene of Nina getting ready for the day after the opening dream sequence. She’s simply
describing her dream candidly to someone the audience can’t see as if they were right next to
her. It might not translate on screen as creepy, but the writing lets us know something’s covertly
wrong, but the characters don’t know it yet – only the audience can sense it. Other scenes that
convey uneasiness include Nina’s first transformation into a swan in her bedroom, the discovery
of her scratches, and her interactions with her reflection that clue the audience her loose grip on
reality.
Information about Nina is given to the audience right away through setting, specifically her
bedroom. The script describes it looking as if it “hasn’t been redecorated since she was a
teenager”, characterizing Nina as perpetually “girlish” and childlike; a “white swan” herself. Her
mother’s treatment of her only emphasizes this, along with details like her jewelry box. The
apartment she and her mom lives in also reflects how ballet has consumed every bit of her life –
all relevant details that reveal character.

All story points are neatly achieved within the first 30 pages, which is why the script’s pace is
effective. We identify Nina’s desire and the situation immediately within the first act, and events
progress quickly with her getting the role as the break into the second act. The third act is a bit
muddled with all that’s happening with Lily, Beth, and her mother, but it’s understandable and
necessary since it’s to convey Nina’s losing grip on reality. The film ends with a “resolution” but
the audience doesn’t know how her fate concludes, which is befitting since what matters was that
she achieved “perfection” in her performance that potentially costed her her life.

A lot of Nina’s actions reveal character and symbolize more than the actions themselves – an
example is Nina’s stealing of Beth’s tube of lipstick. It equates to her first attempt at maturity
and displays her loss of control. The script also mentions details like Nina starting to wear
diamond stud earrings after she lands the lead role, and how she wipes the steam-covered mirror
to see herself more clearly. Mundane actions like these reveal a lot about the mental state she’s
in; even her favorite cake, vanilla with strawberry filling, informs us of her “white swan” nature.
Small character actions and details are arguably even more prominent than “big” actions, so the
script does a fantastic job including these.

VERDICT: PASS

Black Swan is one of the best in its genre and provides artistic commentary on the damaging
perception of perfection.