Black Swan (2010)
Marking the cultural obsession with obsession.
Presentation:
None have captured obsession so psychologically as Darren Aronofsky did with Black Swan. After this film, we saw a whole range of films dealing with the same theme like The Novice and Whiplash, but this film marked the beginning of this culture shift. Ambition, pursuit and success became sexy, which I personally believe had a significant domino effect on our culture overall. Natalie Portman is a force of reckoning and even Mila Kunis plays a fantastic foil even though we don’t normally see her in serious roles. There is a similar psychological element to this film resembling the mastery of Kubrick but with the identifiably contemporary notions of Aronofsky.
Conclusion:
I believe one of the reasons for the cult reception of this masterful film is that it feeds into the subconscious mind of the west. As our culture embraces more liberal values, we lose some of our traditional identity from societal, religious and community roles. However our pursuit of success, attention and talent has replaced the values afforded by an old American dream and this movie captured that shifting zeitgeist. There is a certain darkness with the self destructive nature of humanity that goes hand in hand with success to achieve greatness at any cost. This film embodies how many people feel, glorifying the unhealthy nature of it all, manifesting today as the grinding entrepreneurial mentality. Although some films do obsession better, this marked the beginning of the end, a future classic.
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