Darren Aronofsky has received acclaim from critics and audiences alike over the years, churning out an impressive catalog of films. FromRequiem for a DreamtoMother!,his films are often challenging for viewers to watch and meticulously crafted. One of his most popular films to date isBlack Swanstarring Natalie Portman, which centers around a ballerina that sacrifices her sanity to obtain the lead role, the Black Swan, in a ballet performance.
Surprisingly enough,Black Swanactually has quite a bit in common with a classic anime film calledPerfect Blue.To be clear, this is not an accusation that Aronofsky haslifted his work or plagiarized anything. Instead, this is a deeper look at pieces of Aronofsky’s past catalog and the ways that it appears to have heavily been influenced by the anime classic. So where exactly do the similarities begin?
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Starting back withRequiem for a Dream,there’s the first and most clear nod toPerfect Blue.Specifically,there is a bathtub scenein the film where Jennifer Connelly’s character has just done some unsavory deeds to obtain more heroin. She sits in the bathtub alone in a fetal position, places her face beneath the surface of the water, and proceeds to scream. This sequence is lifted practically shot for shot fromPerfect Blue, making it clear that Aronofsky has an affinity for the film. WhileRequiem for a Dreamis a separate film fromBlack Swan, it’s important to note this earlier lifting of the framing of this scene as it clues the viewer in to some of the plot elements that were clearly influencingBlack Swan.
Starting from the top, Natalie Portman plays Nina inBlack Swan. The main character ofPerfect Blueis named Mima. The names are essentially the same, replacing the m’s in Mima for the literal next letter of the alphabet, n, to get Nina. Had someone not seenRequiem for a Dreamthen this could be chalked up to a simple coincidence. However, knowing that Aronofsky has allowedPerfect Blueto influence his past work so heavily already makes it dubious that this is purely a coincidental name. The plots of both films also haveseveral similarities worth keeping in mind.
Take for example the job that Mima has inPerfect Blue.At the start of the film, Mimais in a pop idol groupthat has medium success within Japan. Mima decides to leave the group behind and pursue a full-time acting career, much to the chagrin of some of her fans. Her first roles that she lands are decidedly more adult in content than her previously squeaky clean public image.
As she struggles with the intensity of filming a scene within the film, Mima is also made aware of a website that is called “Mima’s Room” and appears to be posting diary entries from the point of view of Mima. This leads to Mima entering a state of psychosis. She begins to see a version of herself that taunts her for not being the real Mima. As she delves deeper into therabbit hole of her new careerher mental state worsens. The ending ofPerfect Blueis decidedly happier for the protagonist than that ofBlack Swan, there are a lot of similarities between the two to dig into here.
InBlack Swan, Nina is a ballerina. While this does not involve any singing, it is similar to Mima’s initial career as a pop idol asboth involve a heavy level of dancingand performance. Both Nina and Mima are seen as very innocent, and both struggle to overcome this perception of themselves from those around them. Nina’s innocence is one of the factors that is holding back her dancing coach from selecting her as the lead role of the black swan. He believes that she captures the innocence of the white swan perfectly but would have difficulty capturing the more seductive and sinister aspects of the character after it transforms into the black swan.
Nina obsessively begins working and training for the part, eventually entering a state of psychosis. This leads to Nina beginningto question her own realityand memories at times, much like Mima does inPerfect Blue.There’s even a moment in each film where both characters question their own involvement in a murder, wondering if they’ve become unreliable narrators within their own story.
Ultimately, the stories do take decidedly different turns for their endings. Mima ultimately overcomes her psychosis and discovers the true cause behind the strange occurrences going on around her. Mima isbeing manipulated by someone else, whereas Nina is not. Mima goes on to have a successful career, whereas Nina’s future is not so bright. Nina’s obsession and need to attain the starring role causes her to succumb to her psychosis, and while she gives the performance of her life and finally meets her dance coach’s expectations fully, she loses her life in the process.
While there are enough differences to prevent the film frombeing called a straight-up rip-off, it’s definitely clear thatBlack Swanhas a lot of similarities toPerfect Blue.Aronofsky definitely tookBlack Swanin his own direction, which was decidedly darker. WhilePerfect Bluedeals with the question of fantasy vs. reality,Black Swandeals with the pursuit of perfection and the cost people pay to obtain it. Both are highly enjoyable films, so definitely be sure to check them both out and see the similarities.
