Nigredo
The blackening — the first stage of alchemical transformation involving dissolution, putrefaction, and confrontation with darkness.
Nigredo is the initial stage of the alchemical opus, characterized by darkness, decomposition, and despair. The prima materia (raw material) must first be reduced to black ash before transformation can occur. Psychologically, nigredo represents the dark night of the soul — depression, disillusionment, the collapse of former identity. It is necessary and cannot be skipped. Many people flee nigredo through distraction or medication, aborting the transformation. In film, nigredo appears as the protagonist losing everything: their identity, relationships, beliefs, worldview. Only from this black ground can new life emerge.