Review of The Dancer Upstairs (2002) by Stuart K — 29 Mar 2014

Directed by John Malkovich, this was written by Nicholas Shakespeare, based on his own 1995 novel of the same name. It was inspired by the Maoist uprising that happened in Peru in the 1980's, the group was known as the Shining Path, but their attempt for power was short lived.

Although the film deviates from what really happened during the uprising, it's well made. In an unnamed South American country (maybe Peru), Detective Agustín Rejas (Javier Bardem) is assigned with hunting down the self-styled President Ezequiel (Abel Folk), who is a guerrilla leader hoping to overthrow the country's government.

But he's a hard man to find, and Rejas gets distracted by Yolanda (Laura Morante), a ballet teacher who his daughter goes to. But, even though Rejas soon has strong feelings for Yolanda and that he finds solace in her from the hell going on outside, he soon discovers that Yolanda has a secret to hide.

One which could compromise Rojas investigations and search, and put his life in danger. Malkovich's directorial debut is done with confidence and a deft hand, it has some good performances, with the actors alternating between English and Spanish.

It was this film that helped bring Javier Bardem to international prominence and future Oscar-fame. But, it is well made and it's an old fashioned detective film.