The Dancer Upstairs [DVD] [2002]

THE DANCER UPSTAIRS is a fine example of how films conceived and produced by this country can have all the qualities we honor (and hunger for) in foreign films. Based on true events in the late 1980's in Peru, THE DANCER UPSTAIRS is adapted for the screen from the novel by the same name by the author - Nicholas Shakespeare. The story itself is one of extremes in terror, murder, heinous crimes, and all that is associated with terroist activities in a revolutionary framework. Yet Shakespeare has written a screenplay that focuses more on minds of his characters than on their acts. The 'revolutionary' is a professor of philosophy and his nemesis, tracing his identity and capture, is a thinking man's policeman - a lawyer who turned in his black robes to find a better way to discover honesty. Although Malkovich does not spare images that convey the atrocities (children as suicide bombers, slaughtered dogs hanging from the street lamps, mafia-style executions), he does not dwell on them but rather focuses on the impact on the mind of his lead detective. Javier Bardem is the lead actor here and surpasses his previous successes by demonstrating that he is a 'work in progress' - an actor who grows with every difficult assignment he encounters. His sidekick is well acted by Juan Diego Botto, an actor who knows the subtlties of 'supporting role'. The lead women actors, Laura Morente(as the dancer of the title) and Alexandra Lancastre (as Bardem's wife), are as subtle as they are beautiful, making us believe in the inevitable proof of Bardem's human frailty as he forges his imperturable trail toward justice.
The accompanying featurettes are involving conversations and commentaries by Nicholas Shakespeare (who actually lived in Lima, Peru while the 'Shining Path' revolution he describes actually was taking place), by John Malkovich regarding his choices of electing to cast his film with an entirely Spanish speaking crew yet speaking in English and for not naming the country or the particular timeframe of the story which he hopes will make the story more a parable than a docudrama, and by Javier Bardem who addresses the difficulties of keeping his character cerebral. And for once these features truly enhance the film's message.

It is refreshing to know that movies of this caliber exist and that, hopefully, Malkovich will continue his brave stance as a director of consummate taste and subtlety. Highly Recommended, but be prepared to think.

Capt. Augustin Rejas (Javier Bardem), a lawyer turned policeman, is investigating a series of mysterious hangings of dogs, with signs affixed to their bodies, praising the mysterious Ezequiel, who may be inciting the countryside to a Maoist revolution. In further violence, dancers at an avant-garde performance kill a government official and his wife; a child blows himself up, killing more officials; and three mayors, eleven city councilors, and the Minister of the Interior are assassinated. Rejas, an honest man, struggles to investigate as the corrupt military, controlled by an equally corrupt president, threatens to impose military rule.

Directed by John Malkovich, the film is impressionistic, giving the audience fragments of the ongoing action but not a coherent picture, requiring the viewer to draw conclusions, just as Rejas and his assistants do, in an effort to solve the terrorist mystery. Since the dialogue is not always clear and the accents are strong, this is sometimes a difficult task. The cinematography (Jose Luis Alcaine), however, is dramatic and memorable, much of it focusing on architectural features--bridges, arches, jail cell bars, the bars of a fire escape, columns, balconies. The color red (symbolizing blood throughout) is used to powerful effect in virtually all the key scenes.

Though Bardem and the rest of the Latin American cast are effective in conveying the tension of time and place, the film is sometimes difficult to follow, and the exact nature of the relationships is not always clear. Nevertheless, the film makes its point about the nature of government and political movements and succeeds in showing Rejas (Bardem) as a rounded character, trying to keep his family happy, trying to find happiness himself, and trying to bring honor to his job. The music is sparse but used effectively and sometimes symbolically, especially at the beginning of the film, where happy, syncopated accordian music is gradually transformed into dark, eerie harmonies, the syncopation kept intact. Thoughtful and complex, the film highlights some of the competing interests of Third World governments. Mary Whipple

Captain Augustin Rejas (Javier Bardem) is an officer in the police force that serves the capital of an unspecified Latin American country in the throes of an undeclared civil war. In the name of a mysterious "Ezequiel", random assassinations and bombings are being inflicted. Nobody is safe, from government officials in limos to common citizens on the street. In the most dramatic episode, teenage school girls gun down a general and his bodyguards. Yet no proclamation of revolution is forthcoming, and no group takes "credit" for the violence. Rejas is given command of an anti-terrorist team to track Ezequiel down before the army must be called in and martial law declared. The foundations of the society are being eroded as if by an invisible acid.

In the midst of the turmoil, Augustin continues to take his young daughter to her ballet lessons, which are conducted by Yolanda (Laura Morante), THE DANCER UPSTAIRS, who lives above the school.

This is a film that barely made it out of the art houses because it isn't a mass-appeal thriller. The audience sees no plethora of special FX, no edge-of-your-seat pursuits, and the plot twist, when it comes, is almost anticlimactic. And the hero, Rejas, is no Bond. He's just a regular guy, who trudges through his daily 9 to 5 and is vaguely dissatisfied with his marriage to a woman whose obsession is with having a nose job. His is a life approaching quiet desperation, and Yolanda is a spark that could perhaps rekindle a fire.

While the action is low key, the cinematography lovingly captures the country's slide into chaos. The fireworks are an ominous, yet inspired, touch. Both Bardem and Morante keep perfect pace with the tenor of the piece and the director's vision, neither over or under-acting their respective roles. Perhaps my only complaint is that Augustin's revelation, when it comes, and its aftermath, are consistent with the almost too subdued nature of the script. I wanted more passion.

For those enough lucky enough to live in a stable society, THE DANCER UPSTAIRS is a disquieting glimpse across the boundary of stability.