Ballroom Dancer

Tempers run high in this intimate doc about a former dance champion. Ten years ago, Ukrainian Slavik Kryklyvyy won the International Latin dance championships. Now he’s back and determined to succeed along with young, glamorous Anna Melnikova, his partner on the floor and in bed. This quiet, personal film shows them in both situations – waking up together in a hotel room, her full of the joys of spring, him bristling with nerves and preening himself in the mirror. As they hit the competitions, it’s hard to watch Anna’s smile slowly fade, but this is an insightful portrait of the problems of falling from grace and working with your lover, even if the editing may throw more shade on Kryklyvyy than he deserves. A scene in which the previously unsympathetic Kryklyvyy tries to win back his girl on the rehearsal floor is heartbreaking. This is one for dance fans and voyeurs who want something less hectic than ‘Strictly…’.