A very beautiful film directed with vigor and taste. To classify this film as biopic does not do justice to it and it is even misleading. I read so many ill directed criticism on what is and what is not historically accurate in the movie. Who cares? Who would criticize the Greek poet Kavafy for misrepresenting historical figures in his poems? For me 'The Dancer' is a poetic film on beauty and the passion for creativity and it was a pleasure to watch. For two hours I was immersed in the film's world, relishing every bit of it; the elliptical decor, the unreal almost lighting, the spectacular dance, the energy. Indeed what I liked most was the fact that the film did not make an effort to faithfully reconstruct an era, but rather create its own unique universe combining various elements in a coherent whole. Let alone the amazing amount of work that went into it, the production design, the choreography, the music. The audacious directorial approach is justified by the result. Soko's choice to play Loie Fuller was excellent as she brought into the part her own fierce determination to develop in the show and music business matched with confident and truthful acting. The film is an amazing feat anyway, but even more so as a debut feature.
Reviews
2 Reviews
A Separate Wind
(2014)
An unpretentious, innovative and gripping road movie.
21 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I saw 'A Separate Wind' at the Kolkata Film festival and liked it a lot. It is an honest, unpretentious film, with a good narrative, subtle acting, and an uncompromising style. This is a contemporary road movie in Mexico, which manages to be at the same time realistic and poetic, showing a country which (like most countries) has as many problems as it has charms. This I liked most; the fine balance the film strikes between the dark side of things – whether in the main characters, or the people and situations they come across – and the depiction of a brighter reality. Although the kids' journey is marked by dangerous and unpredictable encounters, which keep us on edge, in the end – to my huge relief - nothing of the usual horrible things we see in movies happens, but rather acts of kindness and understanding, and as the film comes to the end, one is left feeling that the world is both luring and dangerous, mysterious and familiar, harsh and generous, right and wrong. But aren't we all?
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