Films on Art International Competition review - HORIZONS by Eileen Hofer

Blood, sweat, tears and ballet. EILEEN HOFER's documentary HORIZONS screened in the FILMS ON ART INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION of the 15TH T-MOBILE NEW HORIZONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.

EILEEN HOFER's passionate and warm hearted look at classic ballet is driven by sheer admiration not just for the performance art form itself, but also for its interpreters. 

HORIZONS is a documentary that aims to portray it by drawing us into the world of three women from three different generations with a common passion for it. One is a young upstarter from a working class background. Another is a dancer reaching the peak of her career who has decided to stay in Cuba despite lucrative offers from abroad. But the main course of the feast comes from it featuring ALICIA ALONSO, who is not only one of the most universally celebrated ballet dancers of all time, but also a cultural icon of the CUBAN REVOLUTION, often cited by FIDEL CASTRO himself. 

It is also through her story, told via archive footage and present day footage of ALONSO as a ninety-year-old educator still celebrated by her fellow countrymen and women, that introduces us to a significant cultural backdrop that enrichens the context of the documentary - that of the comparison and contrast between COMMUNISM and its ideology with the conformity of ballet.

Nevertheless, this is a concept that never quite takes over the main objective of the HORIZONS, that seems overall more interested in revealing the beauty and grace of classic ballet, as well as paying tribute to the sacrifices that its most dedicated interpreters put themselves through, both in a physical and in a mental sense. Once again, it is the story of how ALICIA ALONSO was able to overcome her problems with her vision through her passion for her art that is particularly inspiring. 

In order to remain faithful to the concept of celebration of ballet, HORIZONS makes little use of a well defined narrative arch, and its fly on the wall story is often intertwined by edited and stylized monologues of meticulously shot and lit dance sequences that also juxtapose the practice sessions and performances of the three women which the documentary follows. 

There are problems in the balance of the stories of the three women, with ALONSO's naturally being the one that takes over. In a sense, the fact that the film is shot in CUBA and doesn't make a grand statement on its socio-political culture and history may not sit well with some of the viewers, but given the fact that this is a film devoted to art, it's refreshing to see a film take a stance for art and remain far from the usual self-righteousness of opposing idealisms. 

In other words, this is a film that follows no agenda, aside from that of the beauty and human side of ballet, and EILEEN HOFER's film is so well made that one needs not be an aficionado to admire it.