Yuli

This energetic account of the life of the electrifying Cuban never shies away from the truth about his tough upbringing

Amazing choreography, this film explores abstract emotions, fear, loneliness and lust.

I recommend it

Legendary dancer Carlos Acosta stars in his own biography. Raised by a controlling but loving father he is forced to start a ballet school even though he hates the idea. A coming of age story with a strong connection to the time and place, makes for unique viewing.

Carlos Acosta has co-written the multilayered script with the Scottish writer Paul Laverty. It is mostly focused on Acosta's childhood and his journey to accepting his true calling. The film is also a bittersweet testament to his father, a man with a turbulent personality who never stopped believing in his son's talent.

Authentic and larger than life, and full of colourful scenery, the film always has another wonder in store. Slightly too long for an independent production it still has a coherent story to tell, about the purest of diamond found in the toughest of places.

I do not care much about ballet although my education had ensured I know a lot about it. YULI has plenty of ballet on display but it is organic to the storytelling. Yes, there are dance sequences for those who enjoy them, but for those who don't they are short and inventive enough to be fun.

Here is an extraordinary life story told without bitterness or regrets. There's gratitude instead. And this is how it should be.

A biopic as hard as beautiful of Carlos Acosta, a child raised by an old-school but loving father and then a well-known black dancer who first did not want to dance.

Many tender, heart-wrenching scenes, a beautiful photography including the alleys of Cuba, good actors: 6/7 of 10.

Carlos is a boy who lives in a marginal neighborhood of Havana with his family. Yuli is the nickname given to Carlos Acosta by his father, Pedro, who considers him the son of Ogun, an African god and a fighter. At the beginning Yuli avoids discipline and education while learning from the streets of an impoverished and abandoned Havana. Due to his natural talent for developing and performing dance choreography, the young man (Carlos Acosta himsef) -forced by his father (Santiago Alfonso)- enters a Cuban dance school.

Iciar Bollain directs this biopic centered on the talented Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta, a dance legend who rose to the rank of principal dancer in prestigious companies such as the Houston Ballet and the Royal Ballet of London. Acosta himself plays himself during his adult years in the ninth feature film by this competent director, Bollain, from Madrid. More themes such as strict discipline, suffering, and overcoming difficulties are the main themes that concern this film, efficiently showing the vital trajectory of the first Black dancer to star in Romeo and Juliet with the Royal Ballet of London.

The film's script, inspired by the autobiography "No Way Home," was written by Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty, a regular screenwriter for the director and the father of her children. Laverty received the Jury Award for Best Screenplay at the San Sebastian Film Festival in 2018.

On the technical side, a diverse array of Spanish talent stands out, such as Alex Catana, winner of the 2015 Goya Award for Best Cinematography for "La Isla Minima," as well as Oscar-winning composer Alberto Iglesua, a frequent collaborator with director Bollain and also with Pedro Almodovar.

The director Icíar Bollaín presents us the story of the Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta in an interesting way. She has worked as a leading actress in selected films a ¨The South¨ (1983) by 'Victor Erice',¨Malaventura¨ (1988) by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón , ¨Land and Freedom¨ (1995) by Ken Loach, it became an acclaimed audience's and critics' choice ; ¨Leo¨ (2000) by 'Jose Luis Borau' that won the Best Actress nomination Goya Spanish Academy Awards and ¨Nos Miran¨ (2002) . She is a prestigious producer , writing and directing since then both documentaries and fiction films. In 1995, she wrote and directed her feature film debut, ¨Hola, ¿estás Sola?¨ (1995), awarded with Best New Director in Valladolid Festival and was nominated for Best Directorial Debut by the Spanish Film Academy. The film became one of Spain's 1996 box office hits. ¨Flowers from another world¨(1999), was her second feature film and was awarded at Cannes Film Festival 1999, Best Film in the International Critics' Week ; ¨Take my eyes¨, 2003, was her following film as writer and director, winner of 7 Goyas Spanish Academy Awards, including Best Film, among many other international awards. Her next feature film was ¨Mataharis (2007)¨ , subsequently , ¨Katmandu¨ and after ¨El Olivo¨ at her best . ¨Yuli¨ rating: 6.5/10. Better than average.