A Ballerina's Tale

Released Oct 14, 2015

1h 28m

Documentary

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18 Reviews

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Misty Copeland becomes the first African-American woman to be promoted to principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre.

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Gab B

Absolute disappointment and frankly insulting - and occasionally gross. I'm sure there's some significance to the people behind this and their connection to Misty that makes other reviews so kind but as a ballet and Misty fan I finished this film utterly shocked at how bad it was. I am going to judge the film in terms of Misty and the representation of black women, nothing else since that is supposed to be the entire point of this film. So much of this icon's life has been in the public eye that this was a chance to either provide Misty's own account of it or to disregard the sensationalism entirely and spotlight her relationship to ballet solely. Instead we get a bizarre and poorly filmed mishmash of uncomfortable interviews, none of which offer fresh insight, zero narrative about Misty's life at all, and frankly an invasive approach to hounding this poor woman so much that she looked uncomfortable and unable to interact with the people around her comfortably. The exact opposite of what a docu film maker should do - you and the camera are supposed to disappear! I assume there was some "edgy" stylistic idea behind the lighting and camera work being so awful that it left me nauseous (you can even hear the person filming breathing as the camera wobbles without it's stabilizing feature being used). Two of the absolute worst crimes were the way it depicted Misty as being antisocial (??) and the discomfort I felt as a woman when the camera went into voyeur territory. There was such clear and heavy handed direction to solely film Misty in ways that had her isolated from fellow dancers and staff (all of whom, as we know from her own social media, adore her and socialize with her all the time) that it was clearly a mawkish and unnecessary attempt to paint Misty as being literally rejected from even speaking with white dancers at any time (again, as we know from her is not the case). We truly did not need a false version of the very real racism and prejudice Misty experiences as a black woman in ballet, especially when it is Misty's sweet and open nature that has defrosted so much of the frigid ballet world and she makes friends wherever she works. (Side note that reducing her time touring with Roberto Bolle and Friends to some flash cards and a few scenes where the camera again hounds her from one foot away and muscles out anyone being able to talk to her is utterly revisionist. Those tours are immense fun for dancers and Misty and Roberto have a wonderful rapport. That we never see in this film at all.) I left the worst for last, that of the voyeuristic tendencies. I already felt uncomfortable with the intentionally chosen poor filming techniques and I do realize that it's a fine line between a camera visually groping a dancer's body versus simply documenting it, multiple times this felt intentionally gratuitous. I will allow for some of those to be accidental but the one was truly unforgivable: when Misty sees the massage therapist in Italy. I can only say that I am shocked at how many people had to approve that footage staying in. It served absolutely zero purpose other than to ogle her body in extremely vulnerable positions and with very few clothes on (seriously, barely a square inch of her body is left to the imagination). Again, as a woman I can tell as I suppose no woman had a chance to tell the filmmakers, Misty looked humiliated and uncomfortable in the extreme. Several times her eyes darted back to the camera in what should have been a clear "please back off" message. I finished the film after that only to say that I had finished it but that moment in particular left me feeling dazed and sick. I won't be forgiving about that moment, especially with the primary filmmakers being men, and feel strongly that it should be edited on streaming services to be removed entirely. Overall, what little good came from this film were from interviews recorded by other productions or the simple fact that the women involved in Misty's life are so full of natural integrity and grace that - like Misty herself - shine in spite of, and regardless of, the male gaze. Please, can a black woman take charge of a new documentary and give Misty Copeland the visual storytelling that she and her life deserve?

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/14/23

Full Review

dan u

I have only seen Misty as a guest judge on "So you think you can dance" and "World of dance". To be honest, didn't know much about her before this documentary. and I am happy to have watched it and glad she is successful. :)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

I am doing a paper on Misty Copeland for my Diversity of Film class at SCC and it will go in our Library Archives for people to look up. I feel great about this. We need more Diversity in this World. and she is all about that. thank you. Elizabeth

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

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Audience Member

The path and challenges Misty Copeland had to face in order to become the first black principal dancer in a major ballet company. A lot to learn and accomplish in 2016 America.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

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Audience Member

Misty Copeland making history!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

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Audience Member

This was a brilliantly done documentary about a unique and powerful ballerina's journey.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Nelson George

Director

Misty Copeland

Actor

Leslie Norville

Producer

Nelson George

Producer

Dorria L. Ball

Executive Producer

Misty Copeland

Executive Producer

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A Ballerina's Tale: Trailer 1

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

George's ace in the hole is his subject herself. Copeland is captivating, oozing talent and charisma in equal parts.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 18, 2016

Full Review

Mary McNamara

Los Angeles Times

A Ballerina's Tale is far from an exhaustive or even complete documentary, but George... captures the behind-the-scenes grit required of any great artist while also making it clear why this artist is more important than most.

Feb 8, 2016

Full Review

Martha Schabas

Globe and Mail

As an examination of how idealized conceptions of the ballerina have fed racial homogeneity in the industry, A Ballerina's Tale sticks with stuff we already know.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 15, 2016

Full Review

Ren Jender

Bitch Flicks

This documentary shows what many of us know from real life, that artists need support systems in place-and women and people of color often have to build their own.

Mar 8, 2019

Full Review

Sarah Boslaugh

Playback:stl

...sometimes this film feels like the work of a publicist rather than a documentarian, but it's still worth seeing, particularly if you are interested in ballet.

Rated: 6/10

Feb 26, 2016

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Norman Wilner

NOW Toronto

George approaches his subject with a great deal of respect, which sometimes makes the film seem a little cautious. But the more time he spends with Copeland, the more I could appreciate the choice.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 14, 2016

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Synopsis

Misty Copeland becomes the first African-American woman to be promoted to principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre.

Director: Nelson George
Producer: Dorria L. Ball, Misty Copeland, Nelson George, Ingrid Graham, Leslie Norville
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Urban Romances, Rumble Audio, Nice Dissolve
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 14, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 4, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $93.9K
Runtime: 1h 28m

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