I've been choked up by a film here and there, but
it's been a while since a film put tears in the eyes
of this reviewer (not even "Dancer in the Dark"
did that). But it wasn't just me, applause could be
heard at the screening's close and then again a
reprise of clapping at the end of the credits.
Billy's mom died some time ago, he shares a room
with his rough brother Tony who's been picketing for
many months along with half the town's miners. Dad is
included in that out-of-work bunch. On this poorer
side of town, fists often settle disagreements that
cuss words can't bluff. It's in this environment that
Billy is sent off to boxing lessons at the
local gym. But in a sort of twisted convex mirror
image of "Girlfight," Billy
becomes much more interested in a ballet class that
shares the facility.
Secretly using his boxing money for ballet, Billy
must come to terms with his own dancing ambitions in
the midst of family adversity and the turmoil of a
town pitting riot police between strikers and
scabs.
Listen carefully, juicy (often punctuated with
swear words) dialogue salts this tender script. "Just
because I like ballet, doesn't mean I'm a poof."
Billy to brother as they lie in bed, "Tony, you
ever think 'bout death?"
Tony, "F' off."
Young friend Debbie says of her parents, "They
sleep in separate beds."
Billy asks, "Why they do that?"
Debbie, "So they can't have sex."
The British dialect is thick and appropriately
slang indulgent. Check out http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang as
prep for the film, or just because it's amusing.
Classic bands of the seventies (T-Rex, The Clash,
etc.) rock the audio track while the tough-skinned
Billy gets comfortable with tap-dancing in a town of
manly men. A couple of his solo dance scene's pack as
much punch as the rocky family emotions this
pressured group must learn to contain. Bold script,
acting, direction, and strong story telling fuel this
strong story.
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