ONLY WHEN I DANCE
Directed by Beadie Finzi
Produced by Giorgia Lo Savio & Nikki Parrott
Released by Film Movement
Portuguese, with English subtitles
Brazil/UK. 78 min. Not Rated
 

The opening shot of Only When I Dance is all about form. Against a background of the rooftops of Rio de Janeiro, you watch a young man use his muscles to move in perfect harmony. In that graceful moment, you understand exactly what this movie is about: dreams full of beauty so sharp it hurts to look.

The film follows the lives of two young dancers from Rio de Janeiro as they try to realize their goal of escaping poverty and becoming professional ballet dancers. Rounded out with interviews with their parents and with the head of their dance school, Mariza Estrella, the movie quietly makes the point that the hopes of the young are always poignant and always fragile, especially when fighting against impossible odds.

Racism, body image, and fierce competition are all obstacles, but the one that trumps them all is economic hardship. Training as a ballerina is expensive, and addendums of international competition where you must get noticed—plane tickets, hotel rooms, entry fees—seem almost insurmountable when you see homes where buckets are placed to catch leaking rainwater through roofs of tarp. Care and stress are etched in the faces of parents, whose children aspire to succeed in an art where not many are able to forge careers, let alone become stars.

Although their stories are compelling, it’s the personalities of the two young dancers that carry the film. Irlan Santos da Silva and Isabela Coracy have a maturity beyond their years. One can hardly believe that they are only 17 and 18 years old. Scenes where you watch them interact with their peers only emphasize their quiet strength. The film does not probe deeply into the socio-economic problems of Rio or the psychology of its two subjects. Instead, it wisely focuses on its two young subjects, asking them questions and then sitting back to wait for answers, some of which are given verbally, some not.

The film pinpoints two main competitions: the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland and the Youth America Grand Prix. In the first, Iralan competes for a scholarship. In the second, both Irlan and Isabela dance to impress judges, who determine whether a ballet company will want to train them. The struggle of schooling, money, and the battle (on Isabel’s behalf) to lose weight holds you breathless, even though it is a tale told over and over in many countries and in many homes.

But the strength and the passion that show through in Irlan and Isabela, as well as their families, makes you want these two young dancers to succeed, and the quiet dignity of their parents as they fight to support their children and their children’s dreams is compelling. Perhaps there are dancers with more talent and more training. But it’s doubtful there are any two young people with more drive. Lisa Bernier
July 2, 2010