The defence The Big-Idea Head
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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Black Swan
Drama · Thriller · Horror · 2010
A committed dancer struggles to maintain her sanity after winning the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake."
Movie details
Black Swan
“"I just want to be perfect."”
2010 Drama · Thriller · Horror 1h 48m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.7 / 10
Community rating
A committed dancer struggles to maintain her sanity after winning the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake."
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Black Swan?
For the defence
The Big-Idea Head
“You watch with your brain, not your gut.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
American Psycho
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The Last House on the Left
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When athletic teen Mari Collingwood opts to hang out with her friend Paige in town rather than spend an evening in with her parents vacationing at the family's remote lake house, it marks the beginning of a night no one is going to forget.
Rosemary's Baby
Drama · 1968
A young couple, Rosemary and Guy, moves into an infamous New York apartment building, known by frightening legends and mysterious events, with the purpose of starting a family.
Mothers' Instinct
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Housewives Alice and Celine are best friends and neighbours who seem to have it all. However, when a tragic accident shatters the harmony of their lives, guilt, suspicion and paranoia begin to unravel their sisterly bond.
Repulsion
Drama · 1965
Beautiful young manicurist Carole suffers from androphobia (the pathological fear of interaction with men). When her sister and roommate, Helen, leaves their London flat to go on an Italian holiday with her married boyfriend, Carole withdraws into her apartment. She begins to experience frightful hallucinations, her fear gradually mutating into madness.
Stoker
Drama · 2013
After India’s father dies suddenly, her uncle Charlie, whom she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her emotionally unstable mother. Soon after his arrival, she begins to suspect that this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives. But instead of feeling outrage or horror, the friendless girl becomes increasingly infatuated with him.
The Truth About Emanuel
Drama · 2013
A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.
Frankie & Alice
Drama · 2010
A drama centered on a go-go dancer with multiple personality disorder who struggles to remain her true self and begins working with a psychotherapist to uncover the mystery of the inner ghosts that haunt her.
Grizzly Night
Horror · 2026
On August 12, 1967, in Montana's Glacier National Park, the unthinkable happened: that same night, nine miles apart, there were not one—but two—fatal grizzly bear attacks.
Jacob's Ladder
Drama · 1990
After returning home from the Vietnam War, veteran Jacob Singer struggles to maintain his sanity. Plagued by hallucinations and flashbacks, Singer rapidly falls apart as the world and people around him morph and twist into disturbing images. His girlfriend, Jezzie, and ex-wife, Sarah, try to help, but to little avail. Even Singer's chiropractor friend, Louis, fails to reach him as he descends into madness.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Darren Aronofsky
Written by
John J. McLaughlin · Mark Heyman · Andres Heinz
Natalie Portman
Nina Sayers / The Swan Queen
Mila Kunis
Lily / The Black Swan
Vincent Cassel
Thomas Leroy / The Gentleman
Barbara Hershey
Erica Sayers / The Queen
Winona Ryder
Beth Macintyre / The Dying Swan
Benjamin Millepied
David Moreau / The Prince
Ksenia Solo
Veronica / Little Swan
Court is in session
Put Black Swan on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.