I saw Black Swan for the first time a year ago, and it completely reshaped how I think about perfection. Initially, I was captivated by the horror drama centered on Nina, played by Natalie Portman, and her obsessive, toxic relationship with ballet.

Yet a powerful takeaway I got from Black Swan is how easy it is to lose sight of reality when you’re consumed by perfectionism. Nina spends the entirety of the movie seeing things for what they aren’t: a rival who’s not really a rival, a flawless performance that doesn’t actually exist, and a reflection in the mirror that doesn’t reflect her true self. 

 Perfectionism makes it easy to fixate on flaws that aren’t really there, to inflate mistakes until they feel catastrophic, and to discount successes because they don’t match some unattainable standard. It’s a mindset that distorts the truth and leaves you feeling like nothing is ever good enough.

For Nina, it costs her sanity, and even her life. She’s so consumed by becoming the “perfect” Black Swan that she loses herself entirely. Her story left me asking: What am I willing to sacrifice for perfection? And more importantly: Is it even worth it?

There are moments when I find myself striving for impossible standards and unable to appreciate things as they are. Through Nina’s story, the film is a wake-up call and a critique of modern society, emphasizing how we glamorize perfection and competition. Society has come to celebrate those who achieve excellence without considering we have gotten to the point this mindset might leave more damage than good.

With all this in mind, I decided to rewatch the movie over break. I thought it was the perfect film to revisit before finals. It reminded me to keep things in perspective and not let the pressure of “perfection” consume me.