Coming to theatres tonight, Wednesday, May 24:
RESTLESS CREATURE: WENDY WHELAN
Directors:
Linda Saffire and Adam Schlesinger
Premiere:
NYFF 2016
Select Festivals:
Palm Springs, Miami, RiverRun, Athena
About:
After three decades with the New York City Ballet, a prima ballerina faces the reality of impending retirement.
As Saffire and Schlesinger’s film begins, Wendy Whelan is in her mid-40s, pushing her body far past the typical limits for a professional ballet dancer. Not yet ready to leave the NYCB, her home since 1984, the celebrated dancer is determined to push past an injury that requires hip surgery and a long rehabilitation period. Still, facing the prospect of a decline from the perfection demanded of ballet, she eventually bows to the inevitable. This intimate film chronicles Whelan’s resilience and adaptability as she shifts her attention to contemporary dance, embarking on a project in collaboration with acclaimed male choreographers, while also making plans for her grand exit from the ballet.
what (not) to doc 