Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, November 27: BOLSHOI BABYLON
Director Nick Read and co-director Mark Franchetti’s behind-the-scenes look at Russia’s legendary ballet had its world premiere this Fall at Toronto. Other fest berths have included DOC NYC, Hamptons, CPH:DOX, and IDFA.
An exploration of both the cut-throat world of dance and of Russia in a microcosm, Read and Franchetti’s remarkably candid profile focuses on the turmoil that followed the notorious acid attack on Bolshoi Ballet’s artistic director, Sergei Filin, in 2013. While the crime itself is not the focus – the perpetrators, including Bolshoi star Pavel Dmitrichenko, are convicted and sentenced to prison – it stands in for the corruption and ambition that plagues the larger Russian society. While Filin returns to his post, scarred and blinded in one eye, factions gather strength against him. Even those who seem uninterested in taking sides face their own struggles to maintain their own standing, fearing aging, injury, or the whims of management may cut their careers short. Expertly crafted, the film presents a dark reflection of the effortless facade the Bolshoi’s expert performers project from the stage.
what (not) to doc 