RISE OF A STAR | Excerpt from FULLDAWA Films on Vimeo.

Sometimes it’s hard for a woman to balance motherhood with having a job at the same time. More time at work sometimes means less time with the children and the other way around. It doesn’t come without any sacrifices and that something The Rise of a Star reminds us of.

Emma (Dorothée Gil), one of the prima ballerinas in the Paris Opera Ballet, is on the brink of her breakthrough in the ballet world. Something she’s always been dreaming off. Finally, the hard work will pay off, her joyfulness keeps on growing. Literarily cause she’s three months pregnant with her first child. Thinking that no one knows about her pregnancy, she confides it to her best friend Victoire (Antonia Desplat). However, that might not have been the right choice. Victoire advises Emma to stop dancing to secure the safety of the baby but Emma doesn’t seem to have an ear for that because her passion for ballet and her breakthrough, are as important as her baby. The more people know the news, the more insecure Emma is feeling about her future. Especially when her pregnancy news reaches her ballet master (Pierre Deladonchamps) as well as the woman overseeing the whole ballet play (Catherine Deneuve). Will she listen to the advice and temporarily put her ballet dream on hold or will she continue and maybe risk her dream of being a mother?

With this movie, James Bort offers the audience a look inside the hard and rough ballet industry, in which every move you make is being watched, and also one in which friends can turn into enemies from one second to another. Especially when they can get your place in the spotlight because of one misstep. The backstage drama in The Rise of a Star is perfectly balanced. It’s never over the top but we still see a glimpse of the harsh reality the ballet dancers live in. The gracious dancers make the movie feels very light to watch and the 18 minute short movie becomes very elegant thanks to the amazing dances. The Bolero of Ravel, that’s being used throughout the movie, gives a very theatrical spin to The Rise of The Star. Leading up towards the final climax of the movie.

A young woman who wants to make it in the ballet world and whose fame is in her reach? Doesn’t this sound familiar to you? Yes, sometimes we saw a glimpse of Black Swan in The Rise of a Star but that’s certainly not a bad thing. With his latest work, Bort praises the female grace as well as the strong perseverance of ballet dancers. Will the Academy praise his movie with an Oscar nomination? Let’s find out soon.

Film and Celebrity Reporter Liselotte Vanophem