Review: ‘Ballerina’

Travis:

‘Ballerina’ is a documentary by filmmaker Bertrand Normand that follows five ballerinas at the Kirov. The film delves into what it takes to become a ballerina and gives the audience an intimate look at the struggle that goes along with staying on top once you’re there.

The film, originally produced for television, details a personal and intimate portrait of Uliana Lopatkina, Evguenya Obraztsova, Alina Somova, Diana Vishneva and Svetlana Zakharova. These young women work extremely hard at becoming physically, mentally and emotionally expressive so that their performance conveys the most beautiful interpretations possible.

I am not personally interested in ballet, but I do accept and appreciate it as a form of art. While I am about as likely to rush out and purchase tickets for a live ballet performance as I am for an Opera, I can attest that this film truly grabbed and held my attention as it introduced me to the five characters and then led me through their lives as ballerinas. This is not a hard film to watch, however the approach taken does feel like a television program at times.

[Overall: 3.25 stars out of 5]