The American

"Black Swan" was the definitive story of a ballerina spiralling into madness under the prolonged pressures of competition, physical wear and injury, and emotional insecurity. While Joy Womack narrowly avoids total destruction, "The American" just adds the cultural and political stressors without differentiating the styles of training and ballet between Russian and American schools. That would have been more telling than the unrelenting scenes of Joy Wormack's furrowed brow, tears and smeared mascara. Diane Kruger rescued this otherwise tedious litany with her portrayal of a tough taskmaster but the male dancer Womack marries (Nik) provides the only emotional relief and humanity in this maudlin tale.

Absolutely exquisite dancing. Diane Kruger and the lead dance Talia as the American are so incredibly beautiful to watch. Their grace and balletic postures and figures make this a true depiction of ballet. The director and the actresses really did take us to Russia, and to the ballet. The story is absolutely amazing, and I was delighted to see the ballerina Natalia Osipova featured as herself, and hear that Joy Womack was the Talia Ryder's body double in some of the scenes as well as her trainer. This gives such authenticity to this gorgeous movie. I preferred it to Black Swan which is one of my best.

Really well-done movie with touching photography, delving into the depths of human nature and the infinite ambition of chasing one's dreams. How much would you sacrifice for your dream? Sacrifice amidst high-level politics, the cost of climbing to the top while staying true to yourself without losing touch with reality. An excellent film made on a minimal budget that serves as a reminder that more isn't always better. It's simple but direct, and provokes thought and reflection. You will not regret watching it. It doesn't matter if you like ballet or not; the same sentiment can be applied to any other form of live performance.

This is a great film . So much quality here ! First of all the sound editing and sound track were both extremely well done - the music and choices where to add music and where to go silent were meaningful and purposeful and crated the exact vibe to math the visual aesthetic. Secondly the story itself is told brilliantly - you are left feeling the passion and desire and sadness - you see and feel the spiral into something completely raw and vulnerable- the love story here is between ballet and the dancer . The lead was incredible and she did an amazing job helping you feel raw . The whole movie makes you feel sort of "icky " and question how far you would do to get what you want , what kind of person would you become to be the best ? You are drawn in , impressed and left thinking long after . This review isn't doing this film justice but I loved it - it has an X- factor I can't even seem to put into words here . Ballet is hard core - watch this !