"The American" featured "West Side Story" star Talia Ryder, who portrays a struggling American ballerina, Joy Womack. The film is based on the story of the first American to make it in the Bolshoi Ballet Company in Russia. The story takes the audience on an emotional rollercoaster.
Synopsis
An American ballet dancer dreams of being in the Bolshoi Ballet Company. This movie represents Joy Womack's story, how her life as a ballerina was a struggle, and the obstacles she went through to obtain her dream. Tatiyana Volkova (Diane Kruger), her ballet instructor, pushes Joy through difficulties to improve her skills. Joy struggles with not fitting in with the other ballerinas because she is not Russian. Bolshoi was not the typical ballet company. The anguish and misery experienced there had the power to physically and mentally destroy a person.
Highs
The greatest aspect of the movie was Talia Ryder's acting; she gave an amazing performance as Joy. The ballerina's emotions throughout "The American" were expertly captured. Through Ryder's acting, she conveyed the pain and sorrow that came along with being the best as it required an unachievable level of effort. A specific scene towards the middle of the film shows the true pain that Joy felt, which was Ryder's strongest performance throughout the whole film. This scenario demonstrates Joy's transformation from a naive little girl to a woman who will stop at nothing to achieve her dream, even if it means destroying her mental health.
Diane Kruger perfectly embodied both hard work and compassion in her portrayal of Tatiyana. Although Joy needs to be treated harshly if she is to succeed in ballet, Tatiyana still has faith in her. She would push her students to their limits, but also offer others who might not succeed a chance. The amount of emotion she put into the role of Tatiyana is astounding. The close bond between Joy and Tatiyana is another highlight of their relationship. Tatiyana could act as though she could not handle Joy, but that's not the truth.
The plot of this film is deep and conveys what a true ballerina has to go through to make it in the company. It is an emotional film that can allow one to see the actual suffering these girls experience mentally and physically. The performances of each of the ballet scenes were beautifully choreographed. It was choreographed by the real Joy Womack, who was a main part of the movie crew. Womack's insight into the movie made it into this incredible masterpiece.
Another high was the costumes of the ballerinas; they were beautifully designed and matched each performance. The setting was just as one might imagine a Russian ballet academy to be. The dance rooms, where the ballerinas practice, are dimly lit, at night, with only one light on. The numerous buses that were driven around Russia during the film showed the snowy landscape outside of the dance rooms.
Lows
The relationship between Joy and Nikolay Lebedev (Oleg Ivenko) was one of the movie's low points. Joy's romantic interest in the movie, which she didn't pursue, was Nikolay. Their connection is complex, and it would have been preferable if she had shown gratitude for his support. When Nikolay is the sole person on her side throughout the movie, her character seems to neglect him. Even if she didn't feel the same way about him, he still genuinely cared for her. The explanation could be that Joy's real-life experiences followed this exact course, and the story is accurate. As the movie is based on a true story, which I think was portrayed rather effectively, there weren't many poor points.
Verdict
This was an emotional film and is worth the watch as ballerinas trying to make it in the company go through pain and suffering to achieve their dream. One's perspective on ballet can be altered by learning about Joy's path to becoming a professional ballerina. To become the best there is, these ballerinas work harder than most athletes.
Rating: 8 out of 10
