Ballet 422

This movie lacked any directional editing skills. The lack of narrative is confusing and makes the experience less than enjoyable. There was great potential in this movie to be an amazing documentary considering the subject, but it was taken into a direction that only fuzzied my understanding of the process of creating a ballet. The repetitive shots of nail biting Justin peck throughout the movie is less than amusing and is not what viewers came to see.

Almost two hours of my life that I am not getting back! Truly disappointing. Narrative is minimal. Basically you are paying to see stints of dancers practicing through the eyes of a nervous choreographer.

The main story, the boy from the corps who creates a choreographic masterpiece with the vast resources of the New York City Ballet, never developed any traction for me. If it had, I would have given it 4 stars and recommended it to everyone. But if you love ballet you’ll like this. NYCB has some awesome talent, in all departments, not just on stage. But the dancers! Mama Mia! They don’t just execute the steps flawlessly, they DANCE them. They dance so sincerely, so fluidly, so joyously, it’s impossible to take your eyes off them. It was a privilege to see this documentary.

Like many of the reviewers, I, too, enjoyed gaining a peek inside the process of coordinating choreography, lighting, costume design, and orchestra to create a New York City Ballet masterpiece. But I could not understand the repetitive close up, drawn-out shots of Justin Peck merely staring at the dancers, of Justin Peck walking down long corridors, of Justin Peck scanning himself in the bathroom mirror at, seemingly, random points throughout the documentary. I understand that the creative process is not typically a linear one, but the narrative and editing of Ballet 422 felt thoughtless and plain confusing when the straightforward intent did not yield for moments of confusion. I was disappointed to have my built-up excitement to see details and of the carefully designed costumes and dramatic lighting dashed, or, (imagine!) more dancing sequences only to see… more shots of the back Justin Peck’s head or Justin Peck with his mouth ungracefully and even, vulgarly, ajar.

Great movie, not just for ballet fans. Kind of like a “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” for ballet because in that it is about hard work and perfecting craftsmanship. It’s fascinating to go behind the scenes at the NYC ballet.