Ballettguttene (2014)

Ballettguttene: Directed by Kenneth Elvebakk. With Lukas Bjørneboe Brændsrød, Syvert Lorenz Garcia, Torgeir Lund. Ballet Boys takes you through disappointments, victories, forging of friendship, first loves, doubt, faith, growing apart from each other, finding your own way and own ambitions, all mixed with the beautiful expression of ballet.

“This Norwegian documentary is one of those I never planned to see, as Iu0026#39;m not very interested in ballet as a whole, though I can appreciate both the beauty of well performed ballet, as well as the grace and hard work which is put into it. But starting watching this; i was quite mesmerized by the great film making, and also the charm of the young athletes. If you donu0026#39;t know ballet firsthand, itu0026#39;s important to understand this basically is hard work, carved in blood, sweat and tears, as well as training passion and enjoyment.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film follow three young Norwegian teenagers from Oslo, 14-15 years old in 2012, all attending the same school and loving ballet, with great ambitions. They all tell about their lives, ambitions, everyday life, teacher conversations, parents relations, stage performances, hopes and joys. We meet them right in the age when they really have to decide if they are to really take the step up from being amateurs to go for it to become professionals. We follow them through a year, through competitions as well as in every day struggles with things every teenager might go through.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe documentary is really well made, is very true to the environment portrayed, and the film is building up interest in a perfect way. It helps, of course, that the youngsters are opening up to their inner thoughts; and are charming and interesting to get to know. Itu0026#39;s an inside look of the demands, tests, the physiological and psychological test and the training they go through as they all try to become students at a higher level. Impressive film making by Kenneth Elvebakk. I havenu0026#39;t seen any of his earlier films, but his film making skills is beyond doubt very skillful. A recommended watch.”