Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2010

©Last Dancer Pty Ltd and Screen Australia

Bruce Beresford’s (Tender Mercies, Driving Miss Daisy) adaptation of the autobiography of Chinese ballet star Li Cunxin is kind of an Asian Billy Elliot, and just as heartwarming. Li was plucked at the age of 11 from his home and family in Shandong Province and taken to Beijing to be trained in classical ballet. Years later, while on a three-month cultural exchange program with the Houston Ballet, the young dancer decides that, despite a lifetime of “America Evil” indoctrination, he wants to stay. Even in Houston. This means, of course, that he can never see his family again, which in turn sets up a fairly predictable reunion scene later in the movie that’s moving nonetheless. In fact, the emotional button-pushing is frequent and not subtle, but Beresford’s craft is great, and he makes it tolerable. Chi Cao seems a bit bewildered and stiff in the lead role, but this actually befits his character. Bruce Greenwood shines as the Houston company’s director. Also Kyle MacLachlan and Joan Chen. Large parts are in Mandarin, and in theaters it will be subtitled only in Japanese, so I recommend putting this on your list of movies to rent at some future date.