Movies in theaters. Music and dance are in the spotlight in our cinema selection

“The beauty of the gesture”: the ballet of courage

The beauty of the gesture
by Xavier de Lauzanne
Documentary. 1:30 a.m. In theaters.

Five years after Les pépites, Xavier de Lauzanne takes us on a new journey to Cambodia, choosing this time to tell a story of the radiant beauties of the legendary Royal Ballet. Filming the magnificence of Cambodian dance, he shows this complete art, at the crossroads of music, literature and fine arts. It also upset the sculptor Rodin who produced, in the autumn of his life, 150 sketches of these silhouettes of dancers as expressive as they were aerial.

Beyond the contemplation to which the images of this documentary invite, the director’s bias is fascinating: to tell the history of Cambodia in the 20th century through the testimonies of former dancers of the Royal Ballet. From the country’s independence in 1953 to today, through the dark hours of the Pol Pot dictatorship, artists have watched over their art as the most precious of treasures. Under the rule of the Khmer Rouge, 90% of them were executed. “I was not afraid of death, because my life is worth little. But art must never die,” says Voan Savay, ballet mistress who survived the dictatorship.

Our opinion: PPP