Movies about ballet and ballerinas can be difficult to make; not many actors are ballerinas, and not all ballerinas actors. However, when a successful performance can be achieved on a physical and emotional level, these films can be quite beautiful to watch.
Common themes explored in films about ballet tend to include jealousy, as dancers vie for leading parts; self-destruction, as dancers' obsession with achieving greatness and perfection lead them to feeling that they will never measure up to the standards they set for themselves; often, exploration of the passion it takes to make a career out of dance. The following films tell stories with these themes from the point of view of young girls and boys, students, and seasoned professionals.
The Unfinished Dance (1937)
The Unfinished Dance is a remake of the 1937 French film Ballerina. A young girl named Meg has a passion for ballet that threatens her focus on her studies, and her success in school. She looks up to the head of her dance school, a woman named Ariane, whose status as the best dancer is threatened by a new arrival. Meg takes things to extremes in an effort to undermine every performance by her idol's rival, and learns that talent and character don't always coincide.
Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)
Dance, Girl, Dance, starring comedy icon Lucille Ball (best known for her groundbreaking sitcom I Love Lucy), blends comedy and drama in a story about two dancers trying to find success and love. It was somewhat under-appreciated upon its initial release, but has since gathered some critical appreciation in recent years, due to what it has to say about feminism and the arts.
Girl (2018)
Girl (available on Netflix) is inspired by a real ballerina who the director met and made his directing debut about. The inspiration for the film, Nora Monsecour, has praised the film and its depiction of her experience as a transgender ballerina.
The main character, Lara, attends ballet school while taking puberty blockers and struggling with feeling like her appearance doesn't fit with her gender identity. She also juggles drama within her family, as her younger brother, who she often takes care of, struggles to fit in at his school. The film does show depictions of self-harm, so view with caution.
Fame (1980)
Fame follows students at a drama school in New York City. Over the years, Fame has become something of a classic, synonymous with pop culture in the 1980s.
The film follows the three protagonists over the four years they spend at university, showing their goals, successes, and failures. There is plenty of music and dance numbers that utilize techniques outside of ballet, as well as some classic ballet training. The film is about young artists finding their way and coming to terms with who they are.
Polina (2016)
Polina is a French film based on the graphic novel of the same name. It follows a talented young ballerina named Polina (Anastasia Shevtsova) who attends ballet school. She's accepted to a prestigious ballet company upon graduation, but leaves to pursue an interest in modern dance. Personal and professional difficulties at the modern dance company lead to her leaving, and struggling to support herself and regain her passion for dancing. It's about the way that passion can change, be lost, and found again.
Summer Interlude (1951)
Iconic Swedish director Ingmar Bergman directed and co-wrote this film about a ballerina reflecting on lost love. Marie, the ballerina and protagonist of the film, recalls a man she once loved who died when they were young, and the ways she was taken advantage of by others in the aftermath of this traumatic experience. The emotional struggles she's had since this experience are getting in the way of both her personal relationships and professional work, so she must come to terms with her grief and let go in order to do what she loves again.
Suspiria (1977)
While people also love Luca Guadagnino's take on this '70s horror classic, it isn't truly a ballet film, or a film about a ballerina. The 2018 Suspiria incorporates more modern dancing than traditional ballet, one of the many ways the film is different from its predecessor, Dario Argento's original Suspiria. Suzy is an American ballerina who moves to Germany to attend a prestigious dance academy. A series of unsettling happenstances lead to Suzy suspecting something sinister is going on behind the scenes.
Billy Elliot (2000)
In Billy Elliot, a young Jamie Bell stars as an English boy, Billy, who discovers a love for ballet, which his family disapproves of. It's an uplifting story about a young boy who refuses to give up on what he loves, and who discovers that for him, passion and talent coincide. Billy Elliott overcomes naysayers and turns them into supporters with his dedication and skill, and eventually his community rallies behind him in support of his dream. It's a sweet success story that has endured with audiences over time.
Black Swan (2010)
2010's Black Swan is perhaps one of the Darren Aronofsky's finest accomplishments, and Natalie Portman earned a Best Actress in a Leading Role Academy Award for her work as Nina, a ballerina whose obsession with perfection leads her to some dark places. Nina has lived a sheltered life and lives with her mother.
When she lands the lead in an upcoming production of Swan Lake, she's threatened by her understudy the sexually overbearing company director. Cracks begin to show in her psyche, as she pushes herself to physical extremes to achieve perfection.
The Red Shoes (1948)
The Red Shoes is an iconic technicolor classic inspired by a fairy tale; it's about a dancer's decline into obsession. This common theme in movies about ballet perhaps owes its popularity to the success of this film.
A ballerina named Vicky is discovered and quickly rises up the ranks in her company, eventually being given the lead role in a production of The Red Shoes. The ballet is a success, but a romance with a composer eventually gets in the way of her continuing to perform. When she's torn between love and her career, she meets a grisly end, the cause of which is open to interpretation, but suggested to be caused by the red shoes she wears.