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Billy Elliot by Stephen Farber Billy Elliot could be this year's The Full Monty. It's another small British film that comes out of nowhere and might just end up capturing the hearts of a huge public. The movie recently opened to breakout business in England, and it looks poised to repeat that success here. Billy (Jamie Bell) is an 11-year-old boy in an English coal mining town. His mother died young, and he lives with his father, his older brother and his slightly dotty grandmother. While he practices boxing, he happens on a ballet class at the same gymnasium and discovers his true passion is dance, much to the consternation of his family. His sexual orientation is not the issue. In fact, that is never actually established one way or the other. But the film is sure to catch on with gay audiences because it champions the idea of breaking out of gender stereotypes and the biases of a narrow-minded community. It's even-handed, compassionate portrayal of all the characters should captivate every other audience, too. PAGE 1 | 2 |
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The performances are first-rate. Jamie Bell is a major find. He has remarkable dancing skills, but he also has the gift of the best child actors, and that is to be completely natural on camera. He underplays the big dramatic moments, which makes them all the more heartrending. Gary Lewis gives an equally shattering performance as his confused father. Jackie Elliot isn't a monster like the father in Dead Poets Society, who drove his artistically minded son to suicide. Instead he's a provincial man who still loves his son and wants the best for him, and his gradual acceptance of Billy's unconventional aspirations is the emotional heart of the film. Lewis does a masterful job of drawing us into the miners' internal struggle. Julie Walters also scores a knockout as the no-nonsense ballet teacher who first fires Billy's dream. All three actors deserve to be remembered at Oscar time. Their work is a tribute to the director, Stephen Daldry, an acclaimed British theater director who makes an impressive film debut. Some of his directing is a bit too slick; there are a few too many jazzy montage sequences set to pop tunes. But Daldry doesn't force the emotion, which grows believably from the characters and the performances. Billy Elliot is a stirring tribute to family love and artistic talent, two forces stronger than prejudice. PAGE 1 | 2 |
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