1. Black Swan (2010)
Also shot using documentary style techniques was 2010's Black Swan. With the intent to win the lead in Swan Lake, Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) becomes consumed by an almost perfectionist mentality. Her overbearing mother, Erica (Barbara Hershey) only attributes to her compulsion and anxiety. When the director of the production, Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) forces the principle dancer, Beth (Winona Ryder) to retire, Nina urges Thomas to reconsider her audition as she proved to lack the emotion the Black Swan required. He forcibly kisses her and she instinctually bites his lip which has him taken aback. He notices he had provoked that reaction and sees that she's capable of channeling that drive to become the Black Swan. Nina wins the role, but at a great cost. Her anxiety driven up the wall, she builds a protective barrier between her and a new dancer in Lily (Mila Kunis). Lily is the personification of the Black Swan and naturally, this causes Nina to question Lily's intent and friendship. Thoughts of Lily begin to envelope her everyday commutes to and from work, and Nina finds that getting in tune with her dark side has suddenly become easier as she becomes filled with jealousy and at times, rage. The theme of seduction is heavy throughout as Nina sprouts wings and feathers in hallucinations and dreams. The kiss from Thomas was intended to put her in a certain mindset to force a reaction, and as Nina becomes more comfortable in her duality, the Black Swan wins out and she is seduced by its sway. Nina's moment of keen awareness comes in the form of a perceived struggle between her and Lily in her dressing room. She smashes Lily into a mirror and leaves her for dead during the show. During intermission, she realizes that it was merely a hallucination and that in her momentary lapse, had shattered the mirror and stabbed herself with a shard of glass. With only moments until the beginning of the final act, Nina gathers herself and puts on a performance that is worthy of a standing ovation. In the final moment of the production, she throws herself from high atop a set piece onto a mattress as planned. Her peers gather around her to congratulate only to find her bleeding profusely through her costume. Medics are called and all Nina can focus on was how perfect her performance was. To conclude, all of these films are similar in theme and they share a correlation in their acts of violence and awareness. In each of these films, our protagonists either inflict pain upon themselves or are met with violent actions committed against them by their own decisive existential moments. All of these characters exist in a world that is so reminiscent to our own, that we forget they are purely fictitious. These characters live, breathe, consume, hurt, question, and authenticate. They accept the world they inhabit and come to terms with it, but they also go to great lengths to apply meaning to their lives no matter the cost. All of these characters take sole responsibility in choosing the course of their actions in the search for meaning through perseverance. They aren't easy films to watch, but that's what makes these films so unique. They are transcendent in ways film probably shouldn't be, but they're all the more rewarding for providing a challenge where most films would rather hold your hand. Sharing in the pain and struggles of these characters only reflects our own search for meaning, and for living a life more authentic.