[CRITICAL] : FALLS, HISTORY Of CREATION

All films are not equal. For example, the documentary points out, the HISTORY Of CREATION is not available in all the rooms. For Paris, most of the network MK2. In Lyon, only a room. But the word-of-mouth does its work, and the film by Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai eventually meet his public.

Points out, this is the story of Benjamin Millepied, a dancer with the New York City Ballet. It is known by film buffs for having choreographed the dances for the Black Swan of Darren Aronofsky , and to have interpreted the role of dancer, in addition to having subsequently married the film’s star Natalie Portman. He was subsequently appointed to head the ballet de l’opéra de Paris in 2013, with the first task of composing a first ballet for the opening of the season 2015. FALLS captures the 40 days of creation with the 16 dancers selected for the occasion by Benjamin Millepied.

These young dancers are over. But not only that. By not putting in front of star dancer (supreme title given to a dancer), Benjamin Millepied wants to trust young people and celebrities (dancers of lower ranks). By doing this, it wants to establish a new life, a different relationship between the dancers and their art The new breath, it is obviously Benjamin Millepied, himself, very young (it is the successor to Brigitte Lefèvre, aged 71 years, when he was 37), accompanied by the equally young Nico Muhly, the composer of the music, and the conductor Maxime Pascal. We can see that they are all three disconnected from the world that is too rigid in which they are, the first is daydreaming (which held the Director of the Ballet of the Paris Opera !) while the other two use a multitude of onomatopoeia to talk about music.

Because the film by Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai , is, first, the portrait of Benjamin Millepied. The character is charming, but mostly inspiring and full of good words vis-à-vis its students. MATTER for successful betting at the same time demonstrate the rigour and the discipline that asks for the classical dance (which is very high level), while putting us closer to the choreographer. The camera of Alban Teurlai is placed intelligently and filmed beautifully, the movement of the dancers, something that is difficult during a rehearsal, and not are not defined, vary the good-will of Benjamin Millepied. The structure of the film (in flash-back, then days are counted, in the manner of a journal) gives the film a suspense-taking for the viewer. The documentary is also very funny, when one sees that in particular the difference between Benjamin Millepied and the crowd of people in the Opera house, which is expected by its guidelines, the first being his assistant.

“MATTER is the place of the confrontation between these two worlds that are on one side the institution is rigid and the other the creative spirit and innovative by Benjamin Millepied”

This laughter is characteristic of the problem of FALLS. Very simply, if the laughter is of the mechanically plated on to the living, according to Bergson, one can observe this : the living, the people, the mechanics, it is the institution that require a behavior. The challenge is therefore to Benjamin Millepied, to fight against a home-prestigious, by attempting to remodel the interior. Thus, he expressed his astonishment when he notices that the floor is not suitable, that the doctors are not competent, that the relationship between students and teachers is biased, or even by putting for the first time a dancer metis as a soloist. When the assistant is trying to capture Benjamin Millepied, COMES shows the location of the confrontation between the straitjacket that is the institution and this to be free, creative and innovative. The shift between the two worlds causes a laugh, a laugh soft as the relationships are cordial, and both characters endearing (this is the same mechanism that wants to establish Toni Erdmann). But it is here that one can ask the question of the universality of the relation : the stiffness of the Paris Opera could be the one of all French institutions ? This is the parallel that is drawn up when it was announced at Benjamin, surprised, that the Marseillaise will be played before the ballet, due to the presence of the President of the Republic.

Originally aired on Canal+ in 2015, FALLS suffered a wound following the announcement of the departure of Benjamin Millepied, the direction of the ballet. Rumor has it that this is due in part to the comments made in this movie and in other interviews ; regardless, the filmmakers have added a half-hour in addition to the theatrical release. Finally, there was hope for this succession. What does it matter, if the renewal is not done within the institutions, there will be no doubt elsewhere.

Alexander Léaud

Your opinion ?