To the question of what you feel when you dance, the young Billy Elliot answered in the 2000 feature film of the same name that it is “like electricity”. So let’s imagine that flow of energy that floods the body and requires it to abandon rest; sometimes in favor of the rigorous movements of ballet, or the opposite, the jerks and contortions of break dancing. Regardless of the style or degree of body expression, a recurrent idea is that in the end a sensation of freedom and satiated impulses is achieved. But what happens when this does not happen? Or when that electricity threatens to fizzle out entirely? the french movie Moving tackles such a dilemma through its protagonist: a Parisian woman in her twenties who, as a result of a painful setback, begins to question her relationship with dance and the possibilities of a reconciliation.
Present at the 2022 French Film Tour, Moving tells the story of Élise, a talented 26-year-old ballerina—played by newcomer Marion Barbeau—who suddenly loses concentration during a ballet performance and falls hard on stage. From there, the character must deal with an ankle injury that will likely require surgery with an extremely long recovery period, to the point of hampering her trajectory. But if she doesn’t have surgery, the risk is that she will never regain the same flexibility. Elise then assumes that her days as a professional dancer are over anyway.
However, when her path crosses that of a contemporary dance company, the protagonist comes into contact with a different way of understanding the movement and language of her body. She might not have to give up dancing after all.
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It should be clarified that Élise is not someone given over to drama or a castaway in a sea of depression. She accepts life’s setbacks maturely and with the will to move on, regardless of the anger or sadness that she occasionally expresses through words. Her resilience and willingness to learn in times of adversity also exempt her from any comedic vices. And as for her transformation arc, there is no subsequent crisis or conflict that calls into question the character’s growth. In that sense, the greatest sin of Moving it would be its flat and predictable quality, although it is not necessarily something negative. if this dramedy discreet requires or not more condiments, depends on the palate of each viewer.
On the other hand, the lack of bitterness throughout the film makes any display of extreme sweetness feel out of place; for example, a sequence in which two lovers run into each other’s arms, without said reunion being based on an appropriate dramatic construction. Even so, director Cédric Klapisch decided to include her in his feature film, when in reality Élise’s romantic history is not even a memorable element of Moving; at least not in the conventional sense. Although the script exposes some loves and heartbreaks regarding a handful of suitors, the emotional bond that really matters is that of the ballerina with ballet and dance in general.
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A flashback allows the audience to witness the protagonist’s beginnings in classical dance, when she was just a six-year-old girl. The sequence is cleverly constructed; we see Élise walk with her mother down the street and up some stairs to her ballet class, through a montage of shots that, although they maintain spatial continuity, illustrate different stages in the girl’s life. It is not a revolutionary resource, but very functional, for the sake of emphasizing that dance has been her daily life for twenty years; her infallible companion both in adolescence and in adulthood.
Therefore, when a sprain creates a seemingly insurmountable barrier, Elise develops a certain resentment towards that former accomplice who is now moving away from her. There is even a scene in which the character suggests that the ballet condemns women to an unhappy end, citing the tragic story of Swan Lake. However, classical dance does not end up being the villain of Moving. Klapisch and his co-writer Santiago Amigorena manage to establish a dialogue between that traditional perfectionism and the most liberating principles of contemporary dance, without condemning either of the two modalities. At the end of the day, the film coincides with billy elliot in which any dance maintains a kind of electricity. It will be the decision of each dancer to choose the style that is most favorable to feel satisfied, physically and spiritually.
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The film complies with making some moments of dance where those who gain absolute relevance are the dancers. The work of the camera lies in knowing how to frame them, whether individually or collectively, while the majesty of the movement corresponds entirely to these characters (ergo, the talented actresses and actors) who make the stage their own. Aside from the fact that the opening credits sequence plays with the idea of dynamism in other visually striking ways; for example, the image of a dancer that is distorted with a thunderous music in the background.
A feel good movie Made and straight, Moving falls far short when compared to the immediately preceding film by Cédric Klapisch (Someone in some place). However, he has an almost irresistible invitation to keep us at peace with our body. And why not, use it more frequently as an instrument to communicate our universe of daily emotions.
Due to the health crisis caused by COVID-19, at Cine PREMIERE we recommend that you review the necessary health measures with the health authorities (especially the General Guidelines for the mitigation and prevention of COVID-19 in closed public spaces) before going to the cinema to watch a movie.
Antonio G. Spindola I have very bad memory. Out of solidarity with my memories, I choose to lose myself too. Preferably in a movie theater.