Final Dance involves a young woman Julia (Evgenia Milana) befriending Vikka (Srdjan Nikolic) a down-on-his luck immigrant who shares a love of dance and also his tutorial attention as he helps prepare her for a dance competition. Her parents give him a guarded welcome which is more than he expects, thinking of himself as a "forty year-old bum" that may seem an odd companion for a 19-year-old girl who lives at home. Julia may learn from Vikka whether she has what it takes to be a dancer or whether she should pursue the alternative of acting, both of which have been a major part of Vikka's life before moving to Canada. He may for a time have something outside of himself to look forward to and may or may not like the place he finds in the heart and life of a woman half his age. Vikka may be stifling himself with realism that suffocates dreams. He speaks of his codes and seems to live up to his word.
Since the movie is adapted from a stage play, we might expect a lot of dialogue to be carried over, and in this case everyone seems to say what they feel or think and the conflicts are addressed often in longer scenes that the average movie viewer may not be used to. Having seen this movie more than once, I could not help noticing that much of the conversation on screen has no subtext since if there is a proverbial elephant in the room the characters may simply point it out. Early on, when Vikka accepts a ride in her car and jokes about her intentions Julia says, "You are too old for me." I do not know whether the original Russian play was more indirect before translation went right to the meaning, but usually audiences like to read into some of the dialogue and they may have to adjust. However, I could argue that characters who are negotiating first meeting and moving in may naturally speak their minds as they have to describe any past stories and concerns. And we may not know at first blush whether anyone is telling the truth. Some details are held hack and paid off in visual context.
Considering what weighs on the mind of Vikka, it is appropriate that in demonstrating what Shakespeare he remembers from his old life in theatre he recites the "to be or not to be" speech from Hamlet for the amusement of Julia. The words are famous enough that it might have been a bold move to just let him do the speech in Russian and let him sell it. But those who don't know the speech have Julia helpfully say back the famous words to demonstrate that she knows it as well. Since the movie is not mainstream, it might have been worth risking the audience not understanding. Nikolic might have been able to convey the transitions of the speech by his inflection and body language alone. But the participation of Julia is consistent with the movie's different forms of dance, be it ballroom, salsa or verbal. Even a scattering of casual still photos might evoke a less formal dance of un-posed instants that might or might not be flashes of courtship.
The film has a non-linear framework and could have shown part of the dance-off earlier to break up the event and gradually introduce how the characters met and prepared so the Final Dance of the event was more of a set-piece on its own. But a lot of people will prefer the mostly linear narrative chronology of events flowing naturally. The parents are memorable, dealing with cultural quirks and gradually willing to zero in on the vibration of spirit their daughter and her new friend bring. Tom Bolton as Basil, the father of Julia, gives a bemused and loose presence to the home scenes. Evgenia Milana conveys emotion with authenticity and Srdjan Nikolic is subtle enough to be the suffering underdog, person of mystery and a potentially worthy mentor. The movie makes use of Toronto settings but is not reliant upon them. The focus remains on the characters and where they may or may not be going in life.
