I watched The Wrestler earlier this year. That got me interested in seeing Black Swan, which I finally watched last night. These two are the best films I’ve watched this year. Both were directed by Darren Aronovsky, who claims that they are companion pieces. In spite of being set in completely different worlds, the films do have a huge amount in common. Both main characters suffer for their art to the point of self destruction. They have problems in their relationships. There is no happy ending. But The Wrestler is heart wrenching where Black Swan is disturbing. Both are full of cliches but it doesn’t prevent them from being utterly compelling.