2023 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
Ballet school director Daniel Owoseni Ajala was first inspired to learn ballet when watching the film Save the Last Dance. This quickly became his passion, his reason for breathing–and he now spends his days trying to inspire his students to express themselves through dance. Then Comes the Body is an in-depth look at a small ballet school located in Lagos, Nigeria–a place where art of this nature doesn’t usually exist. Daniel’s passion is invigorating and infectious–so much so that he might just inspire you.
I don’t think anyone can question Daniel’s passion or the fact that he’s inspiring a group of people to be the best versions of themselves. He is an inspiration; it’s not just his passion for ballet or art as a whole, but what he contains inside of him is enough to propel Then Comes the Body forward, enough to find the film success. Beyond what exists inside of him, passion, vigor, determination, and more, his voice helps to carry the film. He’s charming, and his tone of voice is calming but deliberate. He knows what he’s talking about, and yet he never sounds pretentious or condescending–but rather he sounds like he’s trying to educate and entertain. While Daniel is the heart and soul of Then Comes the Body, each of his students that take the veritable stage, that stand before their potential audience and describe their experiences with dance fill a similar role as him. Their voices, too, are brilliant, full of compassion and knowledge–and they, too, bolster the film and its content.
I love everyone’s voice. Their voices help to extract every ounce of beauty present in this film and this story–and as that beauty is pulled from unexpected places viewers are pulled into the film. Then Comes the Body constantly presents emotion in a number of unique ways, starting with the voices of Daniel and his students.
All of Then Comes the Body plays out before a devastating backdrop, one that depicts poverty, pain, suffering, and other horrible things. The beauty and grace that exists in the movement on screen juxtaposes the backdrop and the exterior tones–creating something as equally brilliant as the artform itself. Olamide Olawale, Precious Duru, and the others (even the ones that seem to exist in the background) present their skills to viewers in a vibrant manner–and while they are obviously talented, much of the reason they are able to find so much success is the background. Beauty is painted on top of struggle, and lines feel like they write themselves–constantly presenting to viewers the importance of Then Comes the Body.
I don’t care about ballet–so for Then Comes the Body to create emotion using ballet, and for it to be able to interest me, is a testament to its beauty and power. Starting with Daniel and trickling down to his students and into the set and the sound–that beauty and power transcends the entirety of the film. It’s not often that you find a documentary that exudes as much emotion as this, and it might just be the best documentary at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. Then Comes the Body is movement and passion–and those things flow throughout the film perpetually.
Written & Directed by Jacob Krupnick.
Starring Daniel Owoseni Ajala, Olamide Olawale, Precious Duru, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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