Review of Billy Elliot (2000) by Janika Maria B — 25 Mar 2013

Billy Elliot was an awesome film. Of particular notice to me was the character development of Billy's dad. The progression was flawlessly executed. Though a somewhat familiar timeline of development from the unwilling to submit to change father to the accepting and very much supporting dad of a son interested in some different or strange thing, the development here is uniquely excellent.

The polarization is incredible. The very tangible nature of his father's anger is magnificently portrayed through the stereotypical boxing dad and hard as rock (pun intended) coal miner. However, as time progresses we find, as often is the case, that the father has only one thing in mind, the welfare of his family.

All of the hatred, we find not converted, but manifested as love and compassion. All of the things that were originally interpreted as hatred, we find are out of necessity and emotional fortitude. The most striking instance is in the destruction of the piano.

Up to that point in time and including that scene we find a father to Billy, seemingly unloving of his former wife. This is evident in his reply to Billy's wondering if "[He] thinks she'll mind?" the demolition of her piano.

His response is short, cold, and powerful. Upon further viewing we later realize that this coldness is more a way of keeping his emotions under wraps. After all he is the hard and heavy miner. This powerful moment reaches its climax when he takes his wife's gold jewelry to the pawn shop and the viewer recognizes that everything the father did was out of love.

The destruction of the piano was not a "screw you" to his wife, but a recognition of the need for firewood in cold, wintry Durham country. It is this characterization of the Billy's father that puts the film above many others.