36 | STRIKE MAGA ZINE | ISSUE 07
DEATH TO THE
PE RF EC
TI ON IST VALERIYA ANTONSHCHUK BY
“I
felt it. It was perfect.” Wine-red blood spreads across the body of the “Black Swan” lead’s ivory regalia, the blooming stain a stark contrast to the perfection grasped in her final performance. Moments before she falls to her climactic death, the idyllic Swan Queen dances her best White Swan yet, surrendering to her faultless character in full. The company huddles over her dying body, but she remains exuberant in her final pursuit of perfection — her last words a submission of accomplishment. Death becomes a small price to pay for the idealism that consumes her life. I wondered why I felt so compelled by the psychological thriller and its main character who embodies the tragedies of perfectionistism. On a personal level, I connected to the stress and anxiety of yearning to reach a goal that felt unattainable, whether in the form of grades, jobs or other individual standards. A lifelong lover of ballet, I may be partial to the “Black Swan” story, but the cinematic trope at the center of this film can be seen throughout our history, media and culture.
It’s a classic tale: A character commits themselves to the pursuit of perfection, perhaps driven by a yearning for approval from themselves and others, only to realize true “perfection” is a myth. For many, the pressure of these self-imposed, unreachable standards becomes unbearable, fostering a deterioration of sanity and self. As seen in “Black Swan,” the struggle between ambition and well-being is particularly prominent in artists, stoking the flames of the romanticized “tortured artist” trope present in everything from classic films and literature to modern popular culture. Does creative success require some fundamental degree of personal struggle? In “Black Swan,” artistic success appears ultimately dependent upon personal struggle and sacrifice. Ballet is an art dedicated to the illusion of perfection — to create an ethereal appearance beyond ordinary human movement. As the film’s lead dancer steps into the “Swan Lake,” ballet’s coveted lead role, we see her struggle with perfection intensify as her stability slips away. She religiously eats her prerehearsal breakfast of one hard-boiled egg and half a grapefruit each morning;
