ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

dance

We Are the Heat – Dance of Redemption?

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In the port city of Buenaventura, Columbia, a young man and his friends struggle to escape their poverty. Their weapon in this war is dance.  In We Are the Heat, Harvey and his crew battle corruption, drug traffickers, and other dance crews as they try to find not just a new life, but redemption from the lives that have trapped them.

 

When the film opens, Harvey has just failed to make good an escape (perhaps being smuggled to the U.S.—it’s not quite clear). He seems defeated by the events of his life and not being able to provide for his wife and new baby. But his dance crew encourages him to join with them in the local qualifier for the national dance championship. The dancing is all energy and power—a reflection of the struggle that life is for these characters. The format is that two crews go against one another in an elimination bracket. For the finals, Harvey’s crew faces their rivals. But the lead of the rivals offers Harvey help getting a job and money if he takes a dive.  Which he does.

His betrayal sets heavily with his crewmates. But they also are busy trying to find ways out of their own dead end lives—helping the corrupt police in a heist at the docks, or reconnecting with a girlfriend who is now with the head of the rival crew. Each one makes mistakes that could cost them dearly. Harvey begins working with a drug smuggler. But when a way is found into the nationals, they must each find their way back together for one last chance to overcome their adversity.

It is a common scenario for a story: failure, recovery, and a chance at redemption. This film seeks to reinvigorate that familiar plot by using urban dance as the vehicle. The bits of dance we see are filled with testosterone, posturing, and anger. I suspect that the film wants that to be the metaphor for struggle to get out of poverty. However, it never quite plays out as a redemptive act. The art of the dance ends up lost in the quest of power.

Redemption movies usually come up short for me because true redemption is rarely within our power alone. Raising above adversity is not what we do alone, but by the grace and help of others. That kind of grace and help happens in this film, but it is never really justified. And much of the grace is cheap grace that is not appreciated. That makes the redemption ring hollow.

Photos courtesy of Epic Pictures.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms – A New Take on an Old Tale

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The Nutcracker has become an established holiday tradition. Most of us know it as the ballet and its Tchaikovsky music and now, Disney is bringing forth a new incarnation of the story in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.

The credits say the film is “suggested by the short story ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ by E. T. A Hoffman and the ‘Nutcracker Ballet’ by Marius Petipa”. It is both familiar and different. The familiarity comes from the main elements of the story, plus the use of the Tchaikovsky music and bits of dance within the story. The difference comes from new places that this film takes the story.

In this version, directed by Lasse Halström and Joe Johnston, we meet Clara Stahlbaum (Mackenzie Foy), a bright fourteen year-old in Victorian London. Clara is something of an inventor. In the opening scene, she demonstrates her Rube Goldberg-esque mousetrap. But Clara also has a sadness about her. This is the first Christmas for her family after the death of her mother. Before heading out to a Christmas party, her father (Matthew MacFadyen) gives her and her siblings presents from their mother. Clara’s is an egg-shaped box, but it is locked and there is no key—only a note that says, “Everything you need is inside.”

At the party, we meet her godfather Drosselmeyer (Morgan Freeman), also an inventor, who made the egg for Clara’s mother. He notes how hard it will be to open without the key. But later, seeking for her godfather’s present, she finds herself in a very different world. When she finds the key there, a mouse runs in, steals the key and runs off. Chasing after it she meets a nutcracker guard, Captain Phillip Hoffman (Jaden Fowora-Knight). Thus begins Clara’s adventure.

It turns out that her mother had been to this world, where she was the queen. Clara is welcomed like a princess and meets the regents of the various realms, most notably Sugar Plum (Kiera Knightley). It turns out that since her mother’s time, the kingdom there has faced rebellion. Three of the realms still enjoy the wonders of this world, but the Fourth Realm, presided over by Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren) and the Mouse King, has separated itself and fallen into darkness and disorder.

They look to Clara to save them. There is a weapon Clara’s mother designed that could bring an end to this, but the key is lost. Clara recognizes that it is the same key that opens her egg. So she sets off with a band of soldiers, led by the nutcracker into the Fourth Realm to regain the key. But when she does, we learn all is not as we have been told and not everyone is as they seem.

At its heart, this is a coming-of-age story as Clara must discover her strength and how to overcome the adversity not only of the mystical kingdom she has discovered, but in the real world as well. Through her adventure she learns that even though her mother is gone, her mother’s love and influence still touches her. She also learns that others suffer just as she does and that she is able to bring healing just as others can heal her.

Clara’s growth is facilitated by the connections she finds in the two worlds. Her godfather was very close to her mother throughout her life and sees in Clara someone very like her. He is able to trust Clara with the tasks he knows await her in the kingdom. Her father, who she views as uncaring is, in fact, as overwhelmed by grief as Clara. In that, they find a new touchpoint for their relationship. Within the Kingdom her strongest connection is with Phillip, the nutcracker. Sugar Plum tries to push her way into Clara’s life, but the sweetness she shows turns out to be saccharine. Others, once she learns the truth, bring her the wisdom and courage she will need. While we may look at Clara as the center of the story, it is important to know that she never does anything by herself. She always has the support of others in making things right.

This iteration of the Nutcracker tale also has a small political bite to it. One of the characters, as the real battle for control grows, notes that the kingdom now has “a big, beautiful army to protect it”. But in this case, the army is not used for protection, but for oppression. It reminds us that force in itself is not our protection—and can even be antithetical to security. One of the messages found in the cross of Christ is that victory does not come through the world’s idea of strength. It is a message that we often have a hard time remembering in a world that trusts military and political might.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Bobbi Jene – Pushing Boundaries

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After ten years as part of the Batsheva Dance Company in Israel, Bobbi Jene Smith is returning to the U.S. to create her own avant garde works. Elvira Lind’s documentary Bobbi Jene chronicles her two year journey, her work, and the personal struggles it entails.

The film opens with Bobbi Jene telling her mentor Ohed Naharin about her decision to return to the U.S. She has had a very successful dance career with the company, but she says that even after ten years, Israel doesn’t feel like home to her. She is also anxious to begin developing her own choreography.  But to do that she must leave Or, the man with whom she is in a relationship with. For Or, Israel is home. He is strongly attached to the country and has no desire to leave.

The film shows us bits of her work, both with Batsheva before she returns home and as she develops her new programs. Her work is very energetic. There is also a strong sense of nakedness, both physical and emotional.

But the most engaging parts of the film involve the struggle to maintain a long distance relationship. This is a struggle between relationship and career, that many people face at some point. Most of the film is done in a fly-on-the-wall style, merely observing what is happening. Toward the end, Bobbi Jene begins addressing the camera to reflect on her life and choices.

This is a film with a fairly narrow audience. Those who know about modern dance, and especially the gaga approach to it, could find much of interest here. Others may not be as engaged by the film.

Photos courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories

Polina: Failed Dreams

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For me, dance movies are very similar to sports movies. The protagonist works hard to reach the goal of recognition and success. They must overcome obstacles, but they grow through the process. Polina is not quite that kind of film. Sometimes people lose their vision of where they are going and they take detours that take them to new lives and new visions.

Polina (Anastasia Shevtsova) comes from a humble home but is accepted into a ballet academy at a young age. The work is demanding, with little praise coming from the teacher. After many years she is about to join the prestigious Bolshoi, but she decides to follow another dancer (Niels Schneider) to France to focus on modern dance instead of classical ballet. There she comes under the tutelage of Liria Elsaj (Juliette Binoche) a former dancer who has become a choreographer.

One of the dichotomies of many dance films (including this one) is the tension between technique and feeling. For years Polina has done all the steps and exercises to become a skilled ballerina. But her teachers demand something more. “Make me feel something.” Her dancing is much different when dancing for joy in the street than when she is in a studio.

This is a story of dreams, but not of dreams come true. Some people follow their dreams; some other people’s dreams. There are dreams that change along the way. Some dreams are broken by choices that are made. Sometimes someone else’s choices impact the dreams. While we may be used to the sports/dance paradigm of overcoming obstacles, sometimes things don’t work out that way. Then what?

How does one reorder their life when all they have dreamed of is gone? Is it possible to reshape dreams to start anew? These are the issues that Polina must deal with. It is not an easy road for her and we aren’t sure where that road will lead, but we do have hope that new dreams will come.

Photos courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories

Leap! – Why Do You Dance (or Whatever)?

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“Why do you dance?”

Leap! is a story of dreams and heart, of overcoming failure, of finding the answers to the questions that matter most. It’s not unlike any number of films (I’ll refer to a few of them later), yet sometimes hearing a familiar story in a new setting can bring us joy.

Félicie (voiced by Elle Fanning) and Victor (Nat Wolff) live in a French orphanage, but the both have dreams of escape and fulfillment. For Félicie that means becoming a ballet dancer. The only thing she has from her mother is a music box with a tiny ballerina. It means the world to her. Victor pictures himself as a great inventor. He tinkers. He constantly keeps Félicie’s music box in repair. His main focus is on something that will allow them to fly. One night, the two sneak out and use Victor’s “chicken wings” to get away. They find their way to Paris, where Victor’s clumsiness leads to them being separated.

Félicie wanders the streets until she finds the Paris Opera, home of a great ballet school. A guard grabs her, but she is rescued by Odette (Carly Rae Jepsen), the cleaning woman. Félicie follows Odette to her other job and eventually convinces her that she can be of help. There she meets Camille (Maddie Ziegler), who is waiting for news that she has been accepted into the ballet school. When the letter arrives, Félicie takes it to the school and assumes Camille’s identity. Félicie has no training and so is far behind the other dancers technically, but she wants to improve, and Odette (who is a former dancer) tutors her.

Meanwhile Victor has become something of an errand boy at the construction site for the Eiffel Tower. He sees this as having Gustav Eiffel as his mentor. Victor and Félicie continue to find each other in the evenings and their relationship has ups and downs.

Of course in time it will come down to Camille and Félicie as to who will win an important part in The Nutcracker. When Camille wins the role, Félicie’s spirit is broken and she is taken back to the orphanage. But in time she comes to believe in herself and she returns to confront Camille.

Watching the film, you can spot influences of the other ways this story has been told. One night when Victor takes Félicie out, she dances without abandon on the tables as in Fame. How could a redhaired orphan not remind us of Annie? Félicie’s training with Odette is reminiscent of Daniel and Miyagi in The Karate Kid. When we see the difference in training methods between Félicie and Camille it is not unlike Rocky. And the ultimate contest between Félicie and Camille is a dance version of the guitar contest between Eugene and Scratch from Crossroads. In the end, what gives the winner the advantage is the answer to the question, “Why do you dance?” the different answers from Camille and Félicie tell the whole story.

Why do you…? That of course is the question that we often struggle with in our lives. Do we do things to please others or ourselves? Do we have a passion or a duty? Are we resigned to our fate or will we break down the barriers that are holding us back?

I wonder how Christians answer such questions. Why do you …? Some would say, the Bible says this is how we must act. Others, this is what Jesus did. Let me venture an answer that I think would please God most: Because God’s love has awakened me to live in a way that shares that love with others. I don’t know if we ever quite attain that point, but it may be a great thing to practice for.

Photos courtesy of The Weinstein Company

Kiki – Community for the Marginalized

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“When someone steps on to the ballroom floor, they’re not just competing in categories. They’re telling a story. Someone who walks says, ‘I am beautiful. This is who I am. I’m lovely no matter what you say, what you think. I’m beautiful.’”

The LGBT community is far more diverse than we may usually think. One subculture within that broader community is voguing, which combines expressive dance, elaborate costumes, and a ton of attitude. In New York City, young LGBT people of color may take part in the Kiki scene. This has been chronicled by Sara Jordenö in her Spirit Award nominated (for “Truer than Fiction”) documentary Kiki.

For those unfamiliar with voguing, you might want to think of it as “So You Think You Can Dance” through the lens of a Gay Pride parade. The film takes us into some of the Kiki balls, where various “houses” compete amidst a raucous revelry. The houses are in one sense teams, but they often serve as a kind of surrogate family. The heads of the houses are often called Mother and Father. This grows out of the marginalization that many LGBT people have had to deal with through their lives. Within these houses each person can find acceptance for who they are.

The diversity of the community is seen in the various people we meet. They each have their own story and find themselves on their own spot on the sexuality spectrum. We discover the labels we apply don’t always fit the way we think they should. (This is one of the reasons that Q [Queer] is often added on the LGBT. It signifies that the gender identification of some doesn’t quite fit the categories of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender.) Some of those we meet have stories of rejection, others have been accepted by their families, but still feel like outsiders in the world at large.

The film also takes time to highlight stories that continue to be important in the LGBT community, even as acceptance has grown through the years. Homelessness, HIV, and sexual exploitation in term of sex workers continue to be some of the things young LGBT people face as they try to find their way in a world that is often hostile to them. The community that has grown up around the Kiki balls is for some a lifeboat in a stormy sea. The voguing scene is not just about providing expression to marginalized people. It also provides community action that seeks to address some of the issues being faced.

For many outside this community, the extremes of dress and sexualized behavior may be disconcerting and perhaps even repellant. But the community that has been formed in the process is one that provides nurture, safety, and stability for many.

Photos courtesy of IFC Films

 

High Strung – Can music and dance bring happiness?

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“I just want to be perfect.”

“And what happens when you’ve achieved perfection? Do you stop then? It’s our imperfections that keep us alive, motivating us to push further and further..?

In High Strung a group of young musicians and dancers strut their stuff in a fairly predictable and formulaic story about finding fulfillment in their art—and finding love along the way.

Ruby is a dancer who has just arrived in New York City to attend a prestigious conservatory. This is a new level of dance for her—but more, it is a new level of living—on her own in the big city. Johnny is a violinist making his way by busking in the subway. Their paths cross and so begins their journey to discovery of what it means to succeed—not only in the arts, but in life.

The film is built around a number of competitions—some formal, others more like duels. Violinists facing off to see who can outplay the other. Hip hop crews going back in forth trying to claim supremacy. Classical ballerinas trying to reach perfection. And a big final showdown of combined music and dance that could change the lives of Ruby and Johnny forever. There is also a bit of classism thrown in with the well-off looking down at Ruby and Johnny for their origins.

Of course, neither Ruby nor Johnny would be able to find success and fulfillment on their own. Even with each other, they still need others who support them and work with them to push them to new levels. They discover that it is not perfection that will bring them happiness, but the pursuit of perfection and the discovery that with the help of others we can do far more than we would ever do alone.