The Duality of Perfect Blue and Black Swan Asks:Why are We Obsessed with Obsession?
Words: Sara Eldewak
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We all love a good tortured artist; Dedicated to the craft, to the point of isolation. Yet there’s a fine line between passion and obsession - when every single aspect of one’s life is adhered to a societal pressure that is impossible to achieve. Films like Perfect Blue (1997) and Black Swan (2010) are cult classics for the girls with exceedingly high expectations. They serve as a compelling artistic mirror, truly exposing the emotional and psychological toll obsessive’s expectations have.
Perfect Blue, is a Japanese anime psychological thriller directed by Satoshi Kon. In the film, we follow a young J-pop star named Mima, lead singer of the idol group CHAM! The film begins with Mima giving her last performance with the band, announcing her departure, and her debut as a rookie actress. Despite having mixed reviews from the public, Mima does her best to persevere through the criticism, to achieve her dreams. Throughout the film, Mima is navigating celebrity life, pursuing her acting career, while also dealing with objectification, stalking, and the impenetrable male gaze, that in turn makes her question her public persona.
She begins to lose sight of reality, and as Mima continues to push herself endlessly, the days turn into one large warped, repetitive blur. Perfect Blue is ultimately about perception. How others see us and how we see ourselves. The gap between who we are and who we want to be. Mima would often reminisce about her time in CHAM!, how much she misses her bandmates, but is still happy to see them succeed as they grow in popularity. It’s the bitter-sweet growing pains of entering a new life, while still holding space for the past.
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The 2010 film Black Swan follows a similar storyline. When the company's artistic director replaces his prima ballerina (Winona Ryder), with Nina (Natalie Portman) in their winter production of “Swan Lake.” As the film progresses, and the pressure heightens, Nina finds herself in competition with a new ballerina in the company, Lily (Mila Kunis). Although the rivalry was mostly in her mind, Nina begins to have a paralysing fear of being replaced. It’s clear ballet rules Nina’s life entirely; we slowly watch her obsession turn into paranoia. Anxiety around her own capabilities, confusion about her personality within and outside of the ballet studio, as well as a sickly and bizarre relationship with her mother add to the tension of taking on a lead role for the first time.
Both Nina and Mima crave perfection that isn’t attainable unless they completely lose themselves to the point of no return. I’ve always found both films to be extremely profound, however, it’s rare we actually take a step back and analyse the themes portrayed and how relevant it actually is to those of us outside of competitive professions. Not only do the characters struggle to grasp their identities, both films also ask us to consider what being heavily perceived on a small or large scale can do to an obsessive mind.
It’s no question, in the world of psychological thriller films, Perfect Blue and Black Swan act as cinematic siblings. The decades long debate on whether Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan was inspired by Perfect Blue, is beyond my analysis. Although both movies share similar themes of burn out and compulsion within cut throat environments, they live in two different worlds. Black Swan hailed from Hollywood, at the end of the first decade in the 21st century, and landed the already lauded actress Natalie Portman her first ever Oscar. While Perfect Blue is a product of late 90s Japan, at a time when Japan was moving through cynicism around idol culture.
During the decade, Japan was facing a decades-long recession, where companies like Sony and Panasonic stagnated. As a way to boost the people's morale, and serve as a fix, Japan revived the export of kawaii and idol culture during the mid to late nineties. Although Perfect Blue portrays a variety of themes, it’s also a piece that depicts Japanese pop culture during a period where the country was facing economic decline. Similarly, Black Swan was also filmed and released right after the 2008 financial crisis, a period where uncertainty and hyper competition would resonate with many people. Although neither film directly discusses salaries or costs of living, the drive behind each protagonist is one recognisable by anyone who doesn’t just want to succeed, but needs to in order to survive.
Perfect Blue is not only relatable for its focus on a personal strive for perfection, but it accurately predicted the parasocial struggles with fame that many fans and fandoms have dealt with in the wake of social media. As Mima was tortured by her stalker in the film and her privacy was compromised, Perfect Blue blatantly critiques just how dangerous attention online can be and the pitfalls when having an emphasis on external validation.
I believe the biggest difference in the two films is how the relentless pursuit of excellence leading to self-destruction led Mima and Nina into two different paths. Burn out as depicted in Black Swan is ultimately what consumed Nina’s character, leading to her demise at the end of the film while performing the final act in Swan Lake. With blood gradually seeping through her costume and a bright light glazing the screen, we aren’t given a clear answer on what actually happened to Nina, just that the only way she feels content is by turning into the black swan itself. Fully immersed into the character, and losing herself completely, she was finally perfect.
Whereas in Perfect Blue, after Mima essentially loses her sanity, the singer learns to accept her reality. By embracing loss and letting go of her previous life, she can finally move in a new direction. Every day is a new reality, but now she knows who she truly is. Once you can accept yourself, flaws and all, reality is something you want to leap into instead of run away from.
