20 Brilliant Mind-F*ck Movies

17. Black Swan

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Natalie Portman in a ballet movie €“ who thought that would turn out to be one of the biggest brain-bafflers in recent cinematic history? With creepy direction from Darren Aronofsky fused with a stellar script from Andres Heinz, Mark Heyman and John McLaughlin, seemingly simple plot elements become the core components of Black Swan€™s dizzying storytelling.

This one gets to you by creating a false sense of security. Aronofsky whisks you into a film that seems like a fairly normal dance movie, but slowly pushes his protagonist Nina to the point of insanity. The intensity of her job, and the pressure upon her, results in toe-crawlingly bloody hallucinations and entirely imaginary scenes from Nina€™s mind.

Because the story unfolds from Nina€™s perspective, we€™re constantly unsure of what€™s real within the world of Black Swan. A rewatch might help you piece a few bits together, but there€™s an enigma here that can€™t be solved.

Contributor
Contributor

Film & TV journo. Quite tall.