Black Swan

1.

1

INT. DARK STAGE - NIGHT 1

OPENING CREDITS:

A SPOTLIGHT slices black space.

In its beam, a DANCER materializes. She is fair-skinned.

Beautiful and pure.

The maiden twirls on pointe, a smile on her face, light as

air and carefree.

She pauses, her face grows worried. Sensing someone watching.

Scared, she peers into the darkness.

She moves now, looking, growing more frantic.

Then, a SINISTER MAN emerges out of the darkness behind her.

She stumbles backwards, frightened.

She tries to escape, twirling away, but he pursues. His true

form is revealed, the demon ROTHBART.

He flings his open hand towards her, casting the spell.

She wants to scream, but nothing comes out. She looks at her

body, sensing something happening to her. Something

terrifying.

She spins, panicking, but it’s too late. She disappears

beneath the beast’s cape.

She emerges as the WHITE SWAN, the iconic protagonist of SWAN

LAKE.

CUT TO BLACK.

2

INT. NINA’S BEDROOM - MORNING 2

In the darkness, a pair of EYES. They belong to NINA, the

same dancer. She lies awake in bed, thinking about her dream.

The room looks like it hasn’t been redecorated since she was

a teenager. Stuffed animals. Dolls. Pink and frilly.

The door opens, throwing LIGHT on her face. Nina looks

towards the door and smiles softly at whoever opened it.

Nina sits up and hangs her BARE FEET off the side of the bed.

Like all ballerinas, she’s beautiful and her feet are

atrocious. Covered in corns, broken blisters and bunions. She

arches them, doing her first extensions of the day.

2.

3 INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING 3

The room is empty of furniture to leave space for dancing. A

large mirror covers the opposite wall entirely.

Nina rubs her knees to get them warm, and then begins her

morning exercises, extending and contracting her feet and

legs in precise and rhythmic motions.

The skin on her chest stretches tautly over her sternum.

Defined vertebrae run up her back, sinewy muscles contract as

she moves. Her slender neck leads into her hair, contained

in a ballerina’s bun.

Nina looks serene as she moves, completely in her element.

She hears someone fussing about in the kitchen.

NINA:

(while stretching)

I had the most amazing dream last

night. I was dancing the White

Swan.

No answer.

NINA (CONT’D)

Different choreography, like the

Bolshoi’s. It was the prologue,

when Rothbart casts his spell.

Still no answer.

Nina continues to stretch.

4 INT. KITCHEN - MORNING 4

Nina sits at the table. An older woman, ERICA, places a

POACHED EGG and a QUARTER-GRAPEFRUIT in front of her.

ERICA:

You’re in a good mood.

NINA:

I’m just excited to get back.

ERICA:

Off-season always makes you grumpy.

NINA:

(re:
grapefruit)

Look how pink. So pretty.

2A.

ERICA NINA:

(inside joke) (inside joke)

Pretty. Pretty.

They giggle and Erica resumes packing Nina’s shoulder bag

with extra clothing, shoes, snack filled tupperware, duct

tape, ribbon, thread, etc.

NINA (CONT’D)

Plus he promised to feature me

more.

ERICA:

He certainly should. You’re the

most dedicated dancer in the

company.

Nina smiles, comforted, and begins taking her vitamins.

Erica walks over with a SWEATSHIRT and holds it above her.

Nina pulls it over her head and starts to push her arms

through the sleeves.

3.

ERICA (CONT’D)

(noticing something)

What’s that?

NINA:

What?

ERICA:

There.

Erica points to her shoulder. Nina feels and finds a small

SCRATCH MARK.

She shrugs and shakes her head.

Erica gives her a suspicious look, but lets it go and smiles.

Nina finishes pulling down the sweatshirt.

Erica hugs Nina into her chest and kisses the top of her

head.

ERICA (CONT’D)

Sweet girl.

Erica releases her and Nina begins eating.

5 INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - DAY 5

Nina rides inside a crowded subway, staring absentmindedly at

her faint reflection in the train’s window.

Suddenly, another train roars by on the opposite track,

snapping her awake.

In the next train car, she sees the back of a BALLERINA

standing in the midst of the crowd. Her head bops to music

playing through iPod earphones.

Nina moves a strand of hair out of her eyes, and at that

exact moment, the girl in the next car moves in the same way.

Mirroring her.

Unnerved, Nina slowly lowers her arm. So does the other girl.

Although Nina can’t quite see her face, the girl seems

IDENTICAL from Nina’s vantage point.

4.

The train jerks to a stop as it arrives at a station. Nina

sees the girl head to the exit. She cranes to see her face,

but her view’s obscured.

The doors slide shut and the train pulls out. Nina watches

the platform whisk by, keeping her eyes peeled, but she

doesn’t see the girl.

6 OMITTED 6

7 EXT. LINCOLN CENTER - DAY 7

Nina emerges from the subway station onto a city street.

She arrives at the MAJESTIC-LOOKING THEATER, where a few

other BALLERINAS likewise trickle towards the entrance. They

all look strangely similar: slender, carrying shoulder bags,

wearing leggings and loose sweatshirts.

She passes a ROW OF POSTERS featuring the company’s prima

ballerina, BETH MACINTYRE.

Nina looks at them, a little envious, before continuing on to

the STAGE DOOR.

8 INT. SOLOIST DRESSING ROOM - DAY 8

Crammed into a single dressing room, Nina and the company’s 5

SOLOISTS get ready for rehearsal. Chatting, sewing ribbon

onto shoes, applying makeup, putting band-aids on blisters.

Nina removes a new pair of BALLET SHOES, admires them for a

moment, before cutting off the satin toe with scissors.

In the background, catty VERONICA and Russian GALINA gossip.

VERONICA:

Can’t believe she’s back.

GALINA:

Of course she is.

VERONICA:

She can’t take a hint? Company’s

broke. No one comes to see her

anymore.

SOLOIST 1

No one comes to see ballet period.

5.

VERONICA:

That’s not true, I heard the Royal

had one of their best seasons yet.

GALINA:

He needs to try something new.

VERONICA:

No, someone new.

SOLOIST 1

Like who?

VERONICA:

Like someone who’s not approaching

menopause.

They snicker.

NINA:

I think it’s sad.

VERONICA:

What’s sad?

NINA:

Beth’s such an amazing dancer.

GALINA:

So’s my grand-mother.

NINA:

Fonteyn danced into her 50’s...

VERONICA:

(rolling eyes)

Yeah, we know.

Irked, Nina starts POUNDING the shoes against the floor to

soften the toe.

Her eyes are drawn to a NEW GIRL standing in the doorway.

Nina pauses to scrutinize her. She wears vampy make-up, hair

down. Dark and sexy.

NEW GIRL:

Soloists?

Wary, the girls mumble mmm-hmm’s and nod.

NEW GIRL (CONT’D)

Great.

6.

She slinks past the suspicious group of girls and plops down

at an open spot.

NEW GIRL (CONT’D)

F***ing got off the wrong stop and

had to hoof it from 79th.

Nina exchanges glances with the other girls, taken aback.

The new girl notices the looks, smirks to herself and starts

getting ready.

9 INT. LARGE REHEARSAL SPACE - DAY 9

Nina wears a look of intense concentration as the entire

company warms up, including the pubescent CORPS MEMBERS and a

handful of MALE DANCERS.

Rate this script:4.8 / 5 votes