In my final years of high school, I had a great English teacher. A teacher who made the syllabus interesting and who didn't expect you to fit in to a mold, but rather wanted you to find your own voice. It was this teacher who one day insisted we go to the cinema and see Billy Elliot. He also insisted that we go see Fight Club, but that will come later.
So I went to the cinema, not really knowing what to expect of this film, and within the first minute I loved it. Billy is endearing before he even says anything. Dancing is just something that he happens to find himself doing, though it is bewildering for everyone else in his life, and he is more than aware of that.
I think I like this film because it isn't self conscious. It's just frank. Yes, kids pick up on more about their parents than they realise. Yes, you're more likely to get through to a kid if you talk to them as an equal. And yes, dancing is pretty great.
Final Thought: Just how many family issues could be solved by dancing it out?
Up Next: Bottle Shock (2008)
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