Mad Hot Ballroom
A documentary alá 'Spellbound' about a ballroom dancing competition between public school 5th graders in New York City (where else would 5th graders learn ballroom dancing?). The results of the competition are, of course, the climax of the movie, but the kids themselves are the main focus. The filmmakers present them matter-of-factly, for the most part letting them speak for themselves, and the film avoids being too treacly, cutesy, or puffing itself up with pathos. It's simple, innocent, and utterly charming. (Be sure you stay for the credits to catch one of the best lines of the movie.)
posted by Ambivalent_Maybe at 5:28 AM
1 Comments:
One thing I liked about this movie is that it didn't dwell on the perils facing the inner city preadolescents that are its subjects. Talk about drugs, sex, parental neglect and other problems hovers around the edges of the story, but for the most part these kids are treated like, well, kids. As one of the teachers in the movie says, each child is different, and you never know what possibilities lie inside each child until you "open him up." The movie does a great job of opening up these kids, so you see a bit of how they understand themselves and how their social world works. They are treated like complete people where they currently are in their lives. The audience understands that they face serious challenges, but "at-risk pre-teen" is not their primary identity, a refreshing approach for us, and probably a healthy one for them, too.
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