OVERLAY REPORT

In the film *Black Swan*, Lily is a **real person**, but Nina (Natalie Portman) experiences several **hallucinations involving her**. The film deliberately blurs the lines between reality and Nina’s deteriorating mental state, but there is concrete evidence within the plot to confirm Lily's existence. Here are the specific details: ### 1. Evidence that Lily is Real * **The Introduction:** Lily is introduced to the entire ballet company by the director, Thomas Leroy, as a new dancer from San Francisco. Other characters interact with her throughout the film in group settings. * **The Understudy Role:** Thomas officially names Lily as Nina’s understudy for the role of the Swan Queen. This is a professional appointment recognized by the rest of the dance company. * **The Ending (The Final Performance):** After Nina performs the Black Swan act, she returns to her dressing room and believes she has killed Lily. However, a few moments later, the **real Lily** knocks on the door to congratulate Nina, telling her she was "brilliant." This confirms that Lily was alive and elsewhere in the theater while Nina was hallucinating their violent confrontation. ### 2. Hallucinations Involving Lily While Lily is a real person, Nina’s perception of her is often a projection of her own repressed desires and fears. Several key scenes involving Lily are hallucinations: * **The Sexual Encounter:** Nina and Lily go out to a club and return to Nina’s apartment, where they apparently have a sexual encounter. The following morning, Nina wakes up late and realizes Lily is gone. When Nina confronts Lily at rehearsal, Lily reveals she never went home with Nina—she went home with someone from the club. It is implied that Nina’s mother was home the whole time, and Nina hallucinated the entire encounter. * **The "Metamorphosis" Fight:** In the dressing room during the final show, Nina gets into a physical struggle with Lily. Nina sees Lily’s face transform into her own (the "doppelganger" effect) and stabs her with a shard of broken glass. When the real Lily later appears unharmed, it is revealed that Nina did not stab Lily; she had actually stabbed herself in the abdomen. ### Summary Lily is a real rival and a fellow dancer. However, because Nina views Lily as the embodiment of the "Black Swan" (impulsive, sexual, and uninhibited), she projects her own transformation onto Lily, leading to the hallucinations of their sexual and violent interactions.