Memories Alone

A very well done edit that's kind of an eye-opener regarding the original movies. Apart from the trademark Aronofsky filmmaking style (long tracking shots following the characters from behind, and the likes) and the similar endings, I hadn't detected the many parallels the two movies have. In Q2's version at least, they kind of seem designed to complement each other. My favorite moments were the parts in which both stories meet, particularly the dress-up montages at the beginning and the back-and-forth between the two performances at the end, with Swan Lake getting carried over the Wrestler footage. Might be a bit too long, yes, but what to cut? It all fits.

Technically, it's all very well done. The Black Swan footage shows a lot of seemingly added grain to render it closer to The Wrestler's, that might be a bit too obvious and degrade the texture a bit too much. But it's otherwise fine, as is the audio.

A very good "outside the box" edit that achieves its goals admirably.

I can't say much without repeating what the other reviewers said. This edit is perfect and easily replaces both originals for me. Well done, Q2.

This was a really cool edit. The two stories worked perfectly together.

The Good Stuff:

The narrative structure is near perfect.
I didn't care for The Black Swan when I saw it, now I was able to relate to the story and characters more.
Holy hell that ending was perfectly edited.

The Not As Good Stuff:

I personally thought it was about 15-20 minutes too long.

If you're a fan of Aronofsky's work, you'll get a kick out of this.

This is a highly ambitious fanedit, and for the most part it works exceptionally well. The vast majority of the edits are fantastic, and create a strong sense of the parallels that bind these two stories together.

There are clear similarities between the two films, and Q2 does a wonderful job of drawing those similarities out and finding where they sync. It's also easy to believe that these films inhabit a 'shared universe', given that Arinofsky employs alot of handheld camera work in both films, and they both have a gritty realism to them (with the exception of the surreal aspects of black swan).

The larger themes of the two films bond well for the most part, although they didn't draw together at the very end as satisfyingly as I would have hoped for, had these films been intended to be experienced in this parallel way. While there is a powerful symmetry in what the two characters are willing to sacrifice for their art, their reasoning for doing so is quite different, most clearly epitomised in Nina's final line of dialogue - A line that perfectly encapsulates her journey, but doesn't really connect with what Randy the Ram is going through, and his motivations for getting back in the ring. Given that this is the final moment of the film, ideally this would have been a a line that connected the two stories more strongly.

Storywise, I almost could have done without the idea that the Ram is Nina's father. Conceptually it works well, and in the moment with the photograph it is executed successfully. The phone call, however, was not as impactful and the presence of the editor was definitely evident during that scene. It worked, but only just, and required a leap of faith on the viewers part to connect those dots.

Technically the film is excellent. I particularly loved the use of music, and the way it was able to carry across imagery from both films to highlight key emotional moments. There were only one or two audio transitions that felt unnatural or jarring (for example, after Nina puts the toys in the trash), but given how many cuts were made between the films, this is quite an incredible feat.

I would recommend this fanedit. It feels weighty and thoughtful, and certainly highlights what wonderful films The Wrestler and The Black Swan are. Congrats Q2 on an ambitious and intense edit!