Black Swan | I Just Want To Be Perfect!

On this episode, the Clever Ghouls discuss Black Swan, the 2010 drama thriller directed by Darren Aronofsky. The film follows the story of Nina, a prima ballerina who will do whatever it takes to be perfect. Join us as we take a closer look at this film and talk about themes such as reality vs. perception, the pursuit of perfection, infantilization, and how making sacrifices for your art ain’t always what it’s cracked up to be.

This film is rated R by the MPA for strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language, and drug use ; however, we want to expand on this list a bit and let you know about a few more things that might be triggering, such as abuse, domestic violence, drug use, gaslighting, sexual assault, disordered eating, intense depictions of mental illness, mutilation and self harm, and sexual content. For more information we invite you to visit Black Swan’s listing on DoesTheDogDie.com.

This episode has a several minisodes that accompany it, so definitely take some time to listen to those for even MORE in-depth content! 

• Dancing with the Devil: Ballet's History and Relationship with Horror | Minisode w/  Maegan
• I'm NOT Confused: Bisexuality in Horror | Minisode w/ Maegan
• Modern Madness:  Misrepresentation of Mental Illness in Horror Films | Minisode w/ Maegan

The Clever Ghouls podcast, hosted by Maegan and Blair, is a show dedicated to watching, analyzing, and discussing the movies that make us think about them long after we’ve left the theater or turned off the TV. We bring quick wit and unique perspectives from backgrounds like art history, cinematography, psychology, analysis, public education, mysticism, mythos, and more to create a curated, inclusive conversation around the spooky movies we love. Tune in on your favorite podcast hosting platform to listen along, join the conversation, and chime in with your own observations!

Our intro and outro music was created for us by Josh Marshall. For more episodes and other spooky content, find us on your favorite social media platform through our handle: @CleverGhouls. Don’t forget to subscribe and share, and if you really like our content, please leave us a review. Or we’ll haunt you forever. Thanks for listening!