“I just want to be perfect.”
Join Ian & Megs for our 308th episode as we step into the mirror-lined, razor-edged, emotionally fraught world of Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan (2010). Lace up your shoes, crack your knuckles, and prepare to descend into obsession, duality, and tutu-level trauma.
This week we discuss:
<ul>
<li>Natalie Portman’s extraordinary, Oscar-winning transformation — fragile ingénue, ruthless perfectionist, and fractured psyche in one.</li>
<li>Mila Kunis as the effortless chaos to Nina’s claustrophobic control — real threat or manifested paranoia?</li>
<li>Aronofsky’s visual language: reflections, doubles, textures, and body horror. How does he trap the audience inside Nina’s deteriorating mind?</li>
<li>The film’s depiction of artistic pressure and perfectionism — when does ambition turn pathological?</li>
<li>What other film could we not stop referencing whilst watching this film</li>
<li>Megs questions the ballet accuracy (and the wildly inaccurate bits) — including the culture, the training, and the psychological toll</li>
<li>Ian asks if the film does a good enough job educating the audience about ballet to make the film accessible</li>
<li>We talk about how Black Swan functions as a companion piece to The Wrestler — obsession as both craft and self-destruction.</li>
<li>The boundaries between reality and hallucination — when does the film stop being literal? Or was it metaphor all along?</li>
<li>We examine the film’s treatment of sexuality, identity, and agency through the lens of duality: White Swan vs. Black Swan, innocence vs. corruption, submission vs. liberation.</li>
<li>The final performance — triumphant, tragic, transcendent? We unpack the film’s unforgettable ending.</li>
<li>And finally, whether Black Swan is the Best Film Ever — or simply one of the most hypnotic psychological thrillers of the 21st century.</li>
</ul>
Become a Patron of this podcast and support the BFE at <a href='https://www.patreon.com/BFE'>https://www.patreon.com/BFE</a>.
We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:
<ul>
<li>Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM</li>
<li>Hermes Auslander</li>
<li>James DeGuzman</li>
<li>Synthia</li>
<li>Shai Bergerfroind</li>
<li>Ariannah Who Loves BFE The Most</li>
<li>Andy Dickson</li>
<li>Chris Pedersen</li>
<li>Duane Smith (Duane Smith!)</li>
<li>Randal Silva</li>
<li>Nate The Great</li>
<li>Rev Bruce</li>
<li>Cheezy (with a fish on a bike)</li>
<li>Richard</li>
<li>Ryan Kuketz</li>
<li>Dirk Diggler</li>
<li>Stew from the Stew World Order podcast</li>
<li>NorfolkDomus</li>
<li>John Humphrey's Right Foot</li>
<li>Timmy Tim Tim</li>
<li>Aashrey</li>
<li>Paul Komoroski</li>
</ul>
Buy some BFE merch at <a href='https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/'>https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/</a>.
Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at <a href='https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor'>https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor</a>
Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at <a href='https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/'>https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/</a>

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