72
Metascore
22 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- Fortunately, first-time filmmaker Bess Kargman has selected a diverse array of competitors from different backgrounds who have significant talent in common.
- 80Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranThese performers are so young, so serious, so full of dreams and so hard on themselves that it is difficult not to be moved by their striving.
- 75Slant MagazineSlant MagazineThe documentary twists out its six narrative threads with measured compassion and even-handedness.
- The movie still seems fresh in the way it respects both the art in ballet and the discipline it demands - even in childhood.
- 70The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisAn appealing, largely upbeat documentary about young ballet dancers duking it out.
- 60Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfThe documentary feels preprogrammed when it could have been a real-life Black Swan.
- 60New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierTheir devotion to their art is admirable, and the film gets under the skin, if never really in our blood.
- 50Village VoiceNick SchagerVillage VoiceNick SchagerThe result is a film that eschews in-depth insight in favor of easily digestible who's-going-to-win suspense, a tack that's aided by Kargman's rather poignant (and visually graceful) evocation of pre-performance anxiety but ultimately leaves the material feeling deflated once the winners emerge.