Pina (2011)

Pina (2011), directed by Wim Wenders, 4 stars

This film is a tribute to choreographer Pina Bausch using movement and, to a lesser extent, words she inspired in her large and extremely talented dance troupe.  I know very little about dancing, less about ballet, and I must admit, I’d never heard of Pina Bausch prior to seeing this film.  But I had heard of the film because it had been nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary in 2012, and I decided to watch it for that reason—that and to get at least a slightly better understanding of and appreciation for an art form that I’m embarrassed to say I have almost none.  I'm very glad I did.

The film alternates between dancers performing to Pina's choreography and their musings on what it was like to work with her.  The performers are shot mute.  Their dialog is superimposed on the soundtrack, and they seem to be listening to their words along with the viewer, sometimes acknowledging a particular thought with a subtle facial gesture.  A few dancers simply appear without saying anything.  The way they move speaks for itself.  And as if to make just that point, after each commentary, whether stated or implied, the camera cuts to a choreographed segment in which the previous “interviewee” is a featured performer.

The combined creativity of the artists is dazzling.  The dance segments are filled with unexpected twists and turns.  Dancers interact with each other and with just about any item in the environment, from doors to chairs to piles of dirt to a jolly hippopotamus.  Dances are staged within a theater and on city streets, in public transportation and at the rim of a rock quarry, on one stage spread end to end with a layer of dirt and on another completely saturated with water.  The environment is integral to the choreography, and the dancers respond with emotions that exude everything from extreme joy to shattering sadness.  They interact with each other with complete vulnerability and trust, passing at one point through an increasingly tall and teetering tower of chairs, and at another, falling face first inches from the ground before being caught and raised up again

Although the film was shot in 3D, the version I saw was projected conventionally so I can only imagine what it must be like to see the dancers perform cinematically in all three-dimensions.  The camera has virtually unlimited access to the performance space, so a 3D viewing of the film would be a truly unique experience, certainly different from mine, and more different still from a live theatrical production of the same choreographed routines.  However, judging from my brief introduction to her ouevre, my guess is that you can’t go wrong encountering the work of Pina Bausch in any form.