Brightest Young Things

The choreography of the late Pina Bausch is bizarre and beautiful. She had high demands of her dancers, both in terms of how they move and the mental toll the dancing requires. In Pina, director Wim Wenders matches the sensibility of his subject and creates a unique documentary, one that lacks many typical aspects of non-fiction film. Without a context or narrative, Wenders and Pina’s dance company showcase her strongest routines. Pina is shot in 3D, and the added dimension deepens the film’s impact.

Prior to entering the theater, I had only a dim understand of who she was. The documentary gives an impression of her genius, though it includes few facts; a visit to Wikipedia is necessary to learn where she lived and died. With no narrator, Wenders films large sections without dialogue, focusing on dancers and their memories of their mentor. When Wenders isn’t filming Pina’s work - he highlights four major pieces, as well as vignettes in unlikely locations – he films the dancers as they sit serenely before the camera. We never see them speak, so their impressions of Pina are given via voice-over.  In this way, Wenders maintains the spirit and constraints of a live dance performance.

But what about the dancing itself? Pina’s routines are viscerally raw, each containing an unlikely element of danger. For example, in “Café Mueller” a dancer keeps her eyes closed even as she careens toward chairs/tables scattered about the stage. Another dancer knocks the obstacles out of her way, and the nerve of the company adds unique tension. Other routines include an element from nature, and by interacting with it, the dancers create a long-lasting impression of their movement. Whether it’s from earth or water, they create beautiful parabolas as dancers whip the elements across the stage.

Dancers also perform in everyday spaces and Wenders’ eye serves these sequences well. As in Wings of Desire, another terrific Wenders film, he finds austere beauty amidst urban locations. The use of the Wuppertal Schwebebahn, the world’s only “floating tram,” is particularly memorable since I had no idea the system even existed. Still, my favorite stand-alone sequence is when a woman performs at the edge of an indoor swimming pool while children swim laps. The tall glass and bobbing heads seem otherworldly with the dancer in the foreground, which only highlight the strange genius of Pina’s work.

Wenders did not begin this project as a tribute to Pina Bausch. Pina was supposed to be part of the project, but she died days before Wenders would begin. He wanted to scrap the film altogether, yet the dancers persuaded him to make a tribute to her legacy. I don’t know whether the idea for 3D came before or after Pina’s death, but the decision is crucial to the film’s success. Between Pina and Cave of Forgotten Dreams, German filmmakers are making a strong case for the 3D art film. Whereas Werner Herzog lets us solemnly see the precise shape of cave paintings, Wenders finds a way to improve upon traditional dance performances since he can film from the stage and even get between the dancers as they move. The use of 3D is not mere novelty. Its effect is more evocative - and more intimately thrilling - than what we typically expect to see.

Previously in Another Movie Guy?:

• 3/30: Movie Review: "The Deep Blue Sea."
• 3/23: Movie Review: "Delicacy."
• 3/23: Movie Review: "Jiro Dreams of Sushi."
• 3/23: Movie Review: "The Hunger Games."
• 3/16: Movie Review: "21 Jump Street."
• 3/16: Movie Review: "Casa de mi Padre."
• 3/2: Movie Review: "Undefeated."
• 3/2: Movie Review: "Project X."
• 2/24: Movie Review: "Bullhead."
• 2/24: Movie Review: "Wanderlust."