Black Swan was one of the /Filmcast's favorite films of the year. But after watching the film, one of the things I was left wondering was: what the hell is going on in the relationship between Nina (Natalie Portman) and her mom, Erica (Barbara Hershey)?
Hit the jump for some theories, and feel free to share your own. And it goes without saying, but SPOILERS for Black Swan follow the break.
Black Swan is an interesting film for many reasons, not the least of which is that this story is told through the eyes of an unreliable narrator. Each of Nina's relationships is imbued with an ominous sense of menace, and we rarely receive any respite from this uncomfortable feeling throughout the course of the film. In particular, Nina's relationship with Erica feels incredibly abusive and restrictive. As the film progresses, the foundations of this precarious mother-daughter bond begin to crumble precipitously.
On that topic, there were a few mother-daughter scenes in this film that left me unsettled, but also curious if there was something else going on in this relationship that we weren't privy to on the screen. In our initial review of the film, I speculated that Erica was one of the most misunderstood characters of the year. Let's assume for the moment that Erica always knew that Nina was a mentally unstable paranoid schizophrenic since the time when Nina was quite young. Sometimes in these situations, where a mother is caring for a mentally ill child the child's life needs to be strictly regimented and controlled in order to maintain stability. This could be the reason why Erica feels the need to restrict Nina's movements and social interactions. It explains why Erica is so protective over Nina as she receives her new, intense role as the white/black swan. It also explains the stuffed animals and other infantilizing elements that are peppered throughout Nina's room and apartment. In this reading, receiving the new role is a precipitating incident in Nina's life that causes her to fully lose her grip with reality and commence her final descent into madness. [Note: One psychologist has interpreted the film as depicting Nina's first psychotic break, which, in some ways, is better-supported by the film and allows for a richer reading of it.]
One of my colleagues, David, opined that my reading introduces superfluous elements into the film, when they really don't need to be there. In reality, parents of talented children often push them to the breaking point, making ballet/football/soccer/baseball/piano/violin/whatever the entire focus of their existences. The complete control and iron fist with which Erica rules over Nina is common in these situations, as parents try to live out their dreams through their children. This is what Aronofsky was trying to communicate through the scenes with these two characters. No other explanation is needed.
After our podcast review of the film, I got several e-mails in support of my reading of the film. But perhaps one of the most fascinating e-mails I received was written by Kyle at istartmymorningssleeping. It introduces a whole new spin on things, and I've reproduced it below:
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You guys never really touched on this, but I think Nina's mom was molesting her.
Reason 1:
Before Nina starts masturbating, she takes out the trash in that one scene. After she takes the trash out, she grabs the stick used to prop her door closed. As she walks back in the house though, the mom is standing there in what looks like a black lace dress (something more sexual than her usual wear) and ask Nina if she is ready for her yet. As Nina goes to her room, she tries to prop the door closed (which would make the mom not be able to get in), but her mom hears her and asks what the noise is. Nina, now scared, hides the stick, and the scene closes.
-I think this is the first time I actually picked up on it. After this point, I thought the point was completely obvious, and almost redundant. Talking with my friends after the movie, they didn't seem to catch any of this and thought I was crazy. Anyways, the way her mom appeared in the dress in that scene, and saying "Are you ready for me Nina" should be proof enough that she is molesting Nina. What other motivation would Nina have to close her door with something that would prevent her mom from entering? This was all before she started masturbating, so I don't think that that is a valid reason.
Reason 2:
I'm not sure when it happens or what exactly was before, but there is a scene when Nina and her mom are fixing her shoes, and Nina begins to get defensive abo
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