‘Black Swan’: The end of the film by Natalie Portman and Darren Aronofsky, explained

What explanation can we get from the end of ‘Black Swan’? The thriller starring Natalie Portman and directed by Darren Aronofsky, has been the subject of analysis since its premiere for its intelligent use of suspense and the distortion of reality to portray the mental situation of its central figure. After exploring Darren Aronofsky’s relationship with the horror genre, we explain the ending and the meanings of ‘Black Swan’ for those who are still in doubt.

We discover Nina, a ballet dancer whose obsessive tendencies lead her to tirelessly pursue perfection in her craft and sacrifice everything she has to achieve success. This is the central engine of a dark and sweet story in equal partsin which (as in the story of ‘Swan Lake’), two opposite poles fight to dominate the stage and the heart of a young woman.

Throughout the film, we are presented with different layers of the protagonist’s psychology. Reality and imagination overlap, creating a “hallucination” effect that accompanies us throughout the story.. How much is real and how much is happening inside Nina? This is one of the main questions that we must answer to understand the closure of Aronofsky’s film. But, there are many more!

On the occasion of the recent premiere of ‘The Whale’, Aronofsky’s new film which, in addition to having received numerous praises, has earned the 2023 Oscar nomination for its protagonist, Brendan Fraser, we dust off this story of reflexes and psychosis, which has a lot prepared to tell.

The end of ‘Black Swan’ explained: what happens to Nina?

A new version of ‘Swan Lake’ will be performed by the US National Ballet Company. This novel adaptation poses a never-before-seen challenge: there will only be one Swan Queen. The White Swan and the Black Swan must be embodied by the same dancer.

Thus begins Nina’s journey towards madness. Convinced that this role is for her, she will begin to push herself to the limit to get it. Sure enough, after impressing the director of the company with her infallible technique (executing the White Swan with exquisite precision), will have to demonstrate that the characteristic sensuality and spontaneity of the Black Swan They are also inside. But, are they really?

When her dark side begins to take over (very little by little) her, she manages to show a version of herself that convinces the director. However, Getting the role is only the beginning of Nina’s destruction.

As the movie progresses, we immerse ourselves in its transformation. Nina, who at the beginning was the exact representation of a white swan, is breaking into more and more pieces. The dancer’s own story merges with that of the work to be performed. We are witnesses of a contemporary and cinematographic ‘Swan Lake’, at the same time stark and shocking.

‘Black Swan’: What really happens and what doesn’t?

At times, It’s hard to tell the difference between paranoia and reality. The film makes us experience the same delusion as Nina, and the suspense remains constant until the fatal outcome.

Throughout the story, we see how the ballerina sees her face on other people’s bodies. The “dark” side of her is personified on the outside in this way. With whom it happens the most is with the character of Mila Kunis, to whom an obsessive bond binds him.

On the one hand, is sexually attracted to her (in one of their delusions they even have sexual relations). For the other, the envy he feels towards her natural spontaneity makes him see her as a rival to be destroyed (In another of his hallucinations, he murders her in her dressing room, although we’ll talk about that later).

In addition to these imaginary enemies that she faces, there are also raw moments that happen in Nina’s mind that we experience visually. The most relevant are:

In addition to these key moments, Throughout the film we continually see the use of mirrors and reflections as a representation of Nina’s multiple identity. His image spreads more and more and his madness becomes more evident. Also your physical transformation into a swan occurs at various times in the film. We witness a complete metamorphosis: the feathers begin to sprout from its skin and the knees are placed in the opposite directionas if it were a bird’s foot.

‘Black Swan’: Does Nina die at the end of the movie?

The last of his paranoias deserves a specific section, since it is the most important. During the first act of the final performance, Nina seems to see her face among the dancers, which causes her to unsteady and she falls to the ground in the middle of a pirouette..

When he gets to the dressing room for the break, meets Mila Kunis’s character, preparing to replace herto. Suddenly, Kunis transforms into an alternate version of Nina and they start fighting. In a fit of rage, Nina sticks a piece of mirror into his belly.

Believing that he has murdered her, he hides her in the bathroom of the dressing room.. The function continues and she, already transformed into the Black Swan, makes an exceptional performance.

Returning to prepare for the last act, Mila Kunis knocks on her door to congratulate her. She’s not dead, then? Indeed.

horrified, Nina discovers that the bathroom is empty and that she has a piece of mirror stuck in her own stomach.. A turn of events that, to be honest, is not easy to anticipate the first time one sees the film.

Thus, she transforms back into the “good” version of herself, and assumes the seriousness of the situation: she has been fatally injured and (in the same way as the White Swan in the play) he ventures towards his death. Will he stop the show and save his life? At this point, the answer seems to be clear…

She represents the final act and throws herself into the void (a gesture that we had previously seen her rehearse). When the play ends, the rest of the company comes to congratulate her and see how she is bleeding to death. With the sentence: “It was perfect” (one of the best final sentences in the history of cinema), the screen fades to white, and we can understand that the young woman has died.

Thus concludes this story that, without a doubt, manages to find a place in the hearts of viewers. Her narration, intimate and close to the first person, makes us share the despair and misfortune of the protagonist. Nina’s obsession with finding perfection is finally fulfilled. However, the young He must pay a high price: his life.