مادو

This is a beautifully made film following Madu as he leaves his home in Nigeria to travel to a Ballet school in London. Found by an instagram video posted by his family he is given the opportunity to follow his dreams of studying ballet and seeing if he has the ability to make it his life. He fights against bullying, home sickness, cultural differences, his changing relationships with his family and most emotionally a problem with his sight. During all these adversities he keeps pursuing his dream and it's very inspiring. I will be following his career and hoping he finds contentment. It's a beautiful directed, shot and edited film.

Beautiful film that gives a snapshot into the life of Anthony Madu, we are taken on a very emotive journey from his beginnings in Nigeria through to his scholarship with Elmhurst in England allowing him to follow his dreams of becoming a professional dancer. We get a real sense that it was tough being away from his loving family and we see that at times he was lonely and worried especially when he thought he wouldn't fit in and then later when he discovers his eye issues may affect his career. I loved the way the film makers let the story play out, we are not directed in our thoughts but rather left to watch from a respectful distance. The ending is left open, and it would be nice to see a follow up when this young man achieves what he set out to do and dances on the big stage that he dreams of doing.

No question the boy is wonderful and deserves for his story to be told, but so many mixed feelings about this movie that unfortunately lacks depth. From the first opening scenes it feels like a feel good diversity checkmark for a big studio. We don't learn much about the boy (how did he discover ballet and what did it take him to learn to dance? Is he doing well at his regular school? How will he cope with school program in the UK?) and his family (what do his parents do for a living? How did they support his passion? What is going on between two brothers?), the scenes are a pretty visual but narrative-wise they feel empty. Adapting to a whole new country should be overwhelming, especially in such a competitive environment with big dreams at stake but it looks fairy-talish and only somewhat challenging. And that brings the ethical question I couldn't get rid of while going through the extreme close-ups of the movie. How do you film emotional scenes with such a child without prying too much, how far do you push to tell a story, and essentially how much can you communicate without asking questions and directing? How does a camera being there affect behavior of his peers and what is performed by people around him just because there is a camera following him everywhere?