BalletBoyz: Young Men

I know less than nothing about dance or ballet. I do know a fair amount abount WWI. This film version of a hugely successful stage performance had me absolutely riveted. Gorgeously filmed in northern France, this team of dancers evokes the terror, fear, tragedy, and horror of that unspeakable war in a way I never imagined could be done, without a word spoken. The powerful physicality of these young male dancers adds a layer of poignancy to the story of what happened to the bodies and minds of the young soldiers in the trenches, backed by a brilliant score that supports the emotion without manufacturing it. I never knew before how powerful dance could be. A couple of segments ran perhaps a bit too long, with some repetitive stretches, but overall an amazing and deeply moving piece of work!

Scrolling through Marquee TV and picked this out knowing nothing about it apart from it was a dance piece. I was drawn into a mesmeric world of destruction, pain and the horrors of the First world war. The dance, the score, everything about this production is masterful. I cried, I cried a lot.

One of the better modern works of art to commemorate the First World War, "Young Men" is a powerful evocation of the endless suffering involved in a war. The movie follows a group of soldiers who, as one season succeeds another, encounter the worst fate and mankind can throw at them. It breathes a strong sense of claustrophobic despair : watching it is like watching a group of desperate people immobilized on a forgotten island, who know/fear that the next tide is going to swallow most of them. Or it is like watching a group of prisoners who suspect that most of the invitations to go take a healthful walk in the prison courtyard are but a cruel code word for yet more beatings and torture.

There is much to admire and appreciate in the movie, such as the fine choreography and dance performances, but it was the hypnotic musical score by Keaton Henson which made the greatest impression on me.

Should be made into mandatory viewing for any politician stupid enough to talk about war with jolly enthusiasm.