Film Review: 'Mao's Last Dancer'

Chi Cao in 'Mao's Last Dancer'.

> Mao's Last Dancer

Director: Bruce Beresford
Cast: Bruce Greenwood, Kyle Maclachlan, Amanda Schull, Chi Cao, Penne Hackforth-Jones, Ferdinand Hoang, Camilla Vergotis, Chengwu Guo, Aden Young, Alice Parkinson
Rating: (M)
3 starts (out of 5)

- Reviewed by Mark Orton.

Guided by the trailer for Mao's Last Dancer, you would expect nothing more than a mess of overwrought sentiment. Fortunately, this is not the case, at least after the first 30 minutes.

The initial set-up is painful, as the film struggles to compress time and place. As fans of Li Cunxin's best-selling autobiography will know, the cultural exchange that leads to him being selected to dance ballet in the United States and his decision to defect from China is a fascinating story.

Technically, the narrative technique of flashing back to an 11-year-old Cunxin trying to make sense of ballet is fine. Where the film struggles is with the clunky transitions back to '80s Houston.

Certain liberties have been taken with the location (Sydney isn't the best fit for Houston), and the clichéd take on fashion and music from the era isn't that great, but the biggest sin is the heavy-handed proselytising about freedom in the good ol' USA versus the harsh mind-control of the People's Democratic Republic.

Some of the story holes are big enough to drive a lorry through, so it's probably best to read the book if you need to know more.

Thankfully, underneath all the jingoistic posturing is a lovely little story about the pain of sacrifice in the pursuit of dreams, not to mention some damn fine dancing.

Best thing: The dancing. Choosing to turn professional dancers into actors for the film was the right choice, as the dance scenes are wonderfully executed.

Worst thing: The film stock. Why does a film set in the '70s and '80s have to adopt a washed out aesthetic?

See it with: Any admirer of exquisite physicality... and dancing.