Question: I didn't understand the movie. Was it all a metaphor for her descent into madness? And the ending. How much of the movie was imagined and how much was actually real?
Question: Why did Jack Nicholson quit acting after appearing in this movie?
Question: At the very end where Lou is visited by the cops and Joyce, couldn't one of them smell the gasoline everywhere? Lou drenched the entire house before they arrived.
Question: After George/Jahangir arrives in his Pakistani house, he's giving gifts to everyone after the evening meal. He hands Tanweer something to which he responds "what was the need for this?" What on earth is that...?
Answer: It's a seat stick, basically a single-leg folding seat that doubles as a walking stick. When it's folded up, the handles are used for support like a regular walking stick, and when unfolded the thick strap becomes a rudimentary chair. They often have a prong on the bottom beneath the rubber foot, so they can be driven into the ground for extra stability. They are often used by the elderly who may need to sit down suddenly from tiredness, or by event spectators who get tired of standing (such as golf enthusiasts, a game of golf can last a while, and these seat sticks provide some relief.) Tanweer responds with 'there is no need for this', and he most likely means that it's not necessary for George to give away his belongings as gifts to the family.
Question: Why were Hesher and Nicole having sex? Had they become close enough to want each other or was Nicole really a prostitute like TJ accused her of being and needed the money? Or did Hesher just go around there and force the issue telling her he wanted her and forcing himself onto her?
Answer: She wasn't a prostitute...the broken mess in her and the broken mess in him needed sexual release. This was not a transaction or emotions...they were never going to be together, this was just sex.
Question: An interesting wind-up lute-type musical instrument is played at one point. Would such an instrument have existed at that time?
Answer: By "Wind-up lute", I assume you mean the hurdy-gurdy. Certainly, instruments fitting the description of the hurdy-gurdy were around in the time when Robin Hood was set.
Question: When Abby comes in to slaughter the bullies, we only see what Owen is able to (not very much, since he's underwater.) There's something that looks like a lot of glass bits, and then something is dragged across the pool and the blood flow begins. But what was the thing being dragged?
Chosen answer: The thing that zooms across the water appears to be Abby herself - upon breaking the window, she beheads the boy holding Owen under the water almost immediately after she enters the pool room; her incredible speed makes it possible that she moved rapidly over the water without sinking below it.
Its one of the bullies upside down you can see if you pause at the right time or slow it down.
Answer: **Spoiler Alert** I would say you are correct about the movie being a metaphor for descent into madness, but also displays themes of repressed sexuality and transformation. As the main character is given the lead role, she must play dual roles, one good and one evil, with the hallucinations representing the latter. Towards the beginning, Nina only embodies the personality traits of the white swan, innocence and grace. As the film gradually progresses, Ninas hallucinations represent her metamorphosis into the seductive and mysterious black swan. The film expertly convinces the audience that Lily (Mila Kunis) is out for Nina's role. In a twist ending, it is revealed that Nina has imagined most of her encounters with lily (including their sexual one) and has instead been battling herself, such as breaking away from her domineering mother and coming to terms with her sexuality. At the end, Nina really does stab herself (but actually hallucinates it is Lily she is stabbing) and her fate is left ambiguous.