BILLY ELLIOT (2000) - ♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Stephen Daldry

Written by - Lee Hall

Starring - Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Jean Haywood

"One of the most successful and well remembered British films of the nineties, set in Northeast England, this is the comedy drama about a streetwise kid born in a working class family brought up by a scruffy and rough father who develops an unlikely passion for ballet. 

The storyline of Billy Elliot is fascinating, especially when placed against the backdrop of its working class struggles cultural and political context. It creates a contrast that it is as realistic as it is poetic. Touching and heartwarming, driven by an excellent leading performance by a young Jamie Bell in the titular role, only rarely does filmmaker Stephen Daldry permits the film to fall into cliché territory."

Drama, UK/France