★★★☆
Dancer, the documentary offering by director Steven Cantor, is a gripping insight into the world of breathtaking artistry. The film examines the life of Sergei Polunin, who at age 19 became The Royal Ballet’s youngest ever principal dancer.
Cantor’s film leaps and bounds through what is to be found off stage – in the wings, rehearsal spaces and family dining rooms. We are taken through Polunin’s rise to fame, his tussles with the newfound attention, and his attempts to shrug off a lifestyle that consumes.
The story starts in the small town in Ukraine where Polunin spends his early years. The desolate, post-Soviet architecture and sparse foliage fuel the sense of unease surrounding the possibility of a prosperous, artistic existence. His family speak of wishing Sergei to have a chance at a better life; a life far away from Ukraine. Ballet is to be his ticket out, and the family starts upon a strategy of geographical separation to ensure Sergei gets his chance.
It is from these early motions of disunity that cracks start to appear. Sergei is sent to the United Kingdom, where he is to have his shot at dancing. Yet simplicity is not to be found in the world of elite dance. Sergei speaks of seeing success as his only way to bring his fractured and isolated family together.
In a society built on the hierarchy of merit, being the best in one’s field is to achieve respect and happiness. But it’s here that Dancer reveals the doubt, pain and confusion Polunin still experiences at the pinnacle of his craft.
Cantor depicts a brilliant artist in the throes of emotional, familial and motivational torment. Having spent his entire childhood training for perfection and eventually attaining his lofty heights, Polunin opens us up to a world of loneliness and confusion. He has spent 15 years away from his family in a country that will only have him stay for his talent. He speaks of dancing to reunite his family, but when this goal is extinguished, his wrangling with motivation causes one of the biggest upsets in ballet history.
Dancer is an intimate look into the life of one of our generation’s greatest dancers. The nuance and complexity found within the backstory of Polunin’s journey raise an important discussion in our world’s obsession with perfection.
Dancerisin cinemas now.
