Grand Jeté

As a kid watching 'Siskel and Ebert at the Movies', I loved Roger Eberts description that movies take you to places you've never been and introduce you to people and lives you'll never encounter.

This movie fits that description freakishly well.

While it's a very watchable film, the characters come across as the last 3 survivors on earth ( there are NO supporting characters) and while fascinating to watch, their personalities fail to elicit any sympathy. I didn't like the characters; I didn't dislike the characters; but I was still too far removed to develop any empathy for anyone.

And for a movie set in Berlin, I expected at least some scenes of architecture, culture, etc, but alas, whereas I met characters I normally wouldn't meet, I never felt that I was traveling anywhere outside of 3-4 studio sets that could have been filmed anywhere.

And maybe even "wrong" love - well no pun intended as always. There have been other movies that have delved into the human psyche and may have given us a better overall picture (I reckon that can count as a pun too) ... but this is also quite well made. It never reaches those heights ... but it is well played and may be a bit more "silent" and slow than other movies.

Try to suspend your disbelief, be prepared to be shocked (not so much from the nudity hopefully, but the relationship the two main characters have ... and their "connection") ... also be prepared to fill in the blanks ... to read between the lines (silences) ... the movie challenges the viewer ... performances are really good. And casting a real dancer in the main role may have helped it a lot.

I think there could have been an interesting story about two very broken, disturbed people and how their disfunction plays out through their very weird/unhealthy sexual relationship. Its at least filmed pretty well. It looks good and the acting is okay. That's pretty much all the positives I can give this movie.

There is pretty much no attempt at character development or motivation. It just lacks purpose and feels totally devoid of any emotion. The sex scenes are not shocking because it does not seem like the two leads are mother and son, they are just two random people with almost no emotions who barely have some rather lame sex.

All that said my real issue with this movie and so many movies like it is its misuse of ballet and its depiction of the stereotypical neurotic, bulimic, crazy ballerina.

BALLET RANT INCOMING:

I have been a ballet dancer since I was in pre school and now fit dancers for their pointe shoes professionally. My first ballet related issue with this film seems rather small but happens very early in the film and told me pretty much exactly what kind of ballet movie I was about to watch.

In this early scene the main character (I don't even know her name or if she is even given a name) is seen teaching a class of young dancers. I immediately noticed that these students were wearing flat shoes and not pointe shoes. This alone is fine as they look quite young and dancers don't typically start pointe until around 10 to 12 ish. However our main character IS wearing pointe shoes. This is very weird and honestly makes no sense. Dance teachers wear dance sneakers, flat shoes, and other types of dance shoes (which she is seen wearing in every subsequent dance scene. The shoes she wears for the rest of the movie are called Grecian Teaching Shoes. They have a very low heal 1/2 inch/ 1.27 cm at most and are made of leather with a flexible sole which can be suede or leather). The only way I could see the inclusion of pointe shoes making sense was if this was a beginner pointe class and she wanted to demonstrate proper technique with her own feet. Even then that is fairly unusual and it was just a really odd choice. There was literally no reason for her to be dancing en pointe at all. I think the reason they put this scene in was so the next scene could be of her painfully taking off her pointe shoes and her messed up toes. This was very reminiscent of Black Swan, another awful ballet film. However in Black Swan it at least makes sense that she would be en pointe because she is dancing in a company. At least in that movie the eating disorder stuff and toe pain made sense for the plot. Here it just makes no sense and really the whole ballet aspect only seems to be in the movie to show how crazy, weird, obsessive, high strung, etc she is. Ballet should not have been a factor in this story at all and I found it gross how they totally misrepresented ballet just so they could have an easy, and maybe even lazy way of saying "look audience this chick is crazy".

The Red Shoes Continues to be the only movie which heavily features ballet that I enjoy. Its sad to see yet another simplistic and insulting portrayal of a ballet dancer in a movie. This stereotype of the crazy ballerina as mentioned in another review is just simply wrong. Ballet dancers are people they are individuals and have all the variations in life experience and personality you would find anywhere else in the world.

BALLET RANT OVER

Basically this movie was boring and pointless with the added insult of the whole inclusion of ballet into the story.

I do not recommend. If you want to experience ballet then go take a ballet class or see a live performance, or watch The Red Shoes.

Another European mood piece. Inferred narrative, incessant close-ups, panning, tracking, and angled camera shots, minimal dialogue. It's all here, quite claustrophobic and irritating. Many are talking about the daring incest plotline; to be honest, if the characters hadn't casually mentioned the mother/son relationship (about three times), I would never have known; it's handling is quite subtle, there's no indication in their behavior that distinguish this from student/teacher, or simply older/younger. Dialogue is so sparse (generally no more than two lines exchanged between characters at any given time), one can't be sure what's going on in the story; the last 20-30 minutes of the film has no conversations, none; we're treated to a little twist, fade to white, it's months later, and our two characters never exchange a single word, or share a real moment to explain what has happened or the nature of their relationship. As for the sex in the film, I know folks believe they saw these two engaging in intercourse, but we didn't see any such thing. To be sure, there is plenty of nudity, some foreplay, an HJ, and the off camera use of an item for pleasuring, however, any act of lovemaking between the characters is not shown; no grinding, thrusting, groaning, or sweating with our protagonists wrapped around each other. There is little, if any, romance here. Given that avoidance of honest passion, the minimal dialogue, and fuzzy narrative, this movie's subject matter is rendered more tepid than bold or shocking; indeed, it would be difficult to show mother/son incest much safer than it's depiction here. Ultimately, the movie just aimlessly rolls around the deck until the end credits appear.

"Grand Jeté" is a heart-wrenching drama that explores the complexities of love and sacrifice. The film tells the story of a talented ballet teacher who is torn between her career aspirations and her responsibilities as a mother. After living apart from her young son for many years, she is unexpectedly reunited with him, and they soon discover an undeniable connection that goes beyond familial bonds.

The film's nuanced performances and stunning choreography create a poignant and moving portrayal of the beauty of dance and the power of family. The lead actress delivers a powerful performance, conveying the struggle of a mother who has had to put her dreams on hold in pursuit of her career. The scenes in which she dances the titular Grand Jeté are breathtaking and inspiring.

The themes of forgiveness, redemption, and self-discovery are beautifully woven into the plot, making "Grand Jeté" a thought-provoking and emotionally charged experience. The film's touching conclusion will leave you feeling uplifted and moved, a testament to the power of love and the healing potential of the arts.

Overall, "Grand Jeté" is a beautifully crafted film that showcases the talent of its cast and crew. It's a must-see for anyone who appreciates the beauty of dance and the complexities of human relationships.