The winner of the Best Screenplay award at the 2018 San Sebastián International Film Festival, is this extraordinary biopic of the legendary Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta, the first black dancer to perform some of the most famous ballet roles.
Hailing from a poor neighbourhood of Havana, Carlos’ only desire is to be a normal boy. Spending his young years fervently resisting his talent for dance, he ultimately succumbs to the pressures of his father and instructor, and his gift eventually lands him in London. Miserable and homesick, Carlos eventually returns home to a Cuba facing economic challenges. Here, with a little help from his friends, he finally recognises that his future really is in dance – and the rest, including starring as the Royal Ballet’s first black Romeo, is ballet history.
Starring the dancer himself, Acosta is a magnetic force whose charisma and astonishing talent leaps off the screen. His affirmative story superbly articulates experiences of sacrifice, maleness, black identity, exile and the transformative power of art while also boldly illustrating the glories and injustices of Cuban life under Castro.
Tuesday 16th April
115 min
M
Film Festival
