Not
much has changed in Russia. The president is a former KGB officer and the Bolshoi
Ballet is still the nation’s most prestigious cultural institution. For an
aspiring dancer like Polina Oulinov, rebelling against the Bolshoi is like any
other Russian rebelling against Putin. Yet, she will risk a brilliant career to
pursue modern dance in Valérie Müller & Angelin Preljocaj’s Polina (trailer here), which opens this
Friday in New York.
Oulinov
is not a superhero, but she can endure great physical pain and she was first
brought to life in the pages of Bastien Vivès’ like-titled graphic novel.
Although she was supposedly never that “supple,” young Oulinov was still admitted
to the ballet school of the great Bojinski, a legendary choreographer who ran
afoul of Soviet censors from time to time. He is hard on her, but he also helps
her find the key to ace the entrance exam for Moscow’s leading ballet high
school.
During
her teen years, Oulinov steadily develops her art, but she still returns for
tutoring from Bojinski. As a result, she easily aces the Bolshoi audition, but
a special performance from a visiting French modern dance troupe convinces her
to forsake the venerable ballet company to pursue modern dance in Aix-en-Provence.
For a while, she makes progress under Liria Elsaj’s tutelage, but her prima ballerina
attitude eventually clashes with the troupe’s cooperative ethos. Thus, begins a
period of scuffling across France and Belgium.
Evidently,
Juliette Binoche really can do it all. A few years ago, she performed in a
legit dance production choreographed by Akram Khan, so it makes perfect sense
to cast her as Elsaj. In fact, most of her on-screen performance comes through
her dancing, which is impressive. Yet, her straight talk to Oulinov also leaves
a lasting impression.
Likewise,
Anastasia Shevtsova, a member of the Mariinsky, has all the chops you would
expect. She is also quite a good screen thesp, making us despise and yet
sympathize with Oulinov, in equal measure. Jérémie Bélingard (of the Paris
Opera) compliments her perfectly, both in terms of dance steps and romantic
chemistry. Yet, it is Aleksei Guskov who really gives the film its soul, even
though Müller and Preljocaj have too much integrity for any tearful summation
scenes between teacher and former pupil.
In
fact, Müller the screenwriter and Preljocaj the acclaimed choreographer share
duties at the helm without any apparent Jekyll-and-Hyde effects. They stage the
performances in visually interesting ways and bring out the characters’ passion
for dance. Their primary cast-members are used quite shrewdly, but they also
get a key assist from Yurie Tsugawa and her partner, whose pivotal performance
of Snow White is so arresting, we can
believe it would send Oulinov off packing to France.
