“I was dancing when I was twelve…”; Billy Elliot may no longer be twelve, but he is still rocking our TV, twisting our hearts and emotions. The little dance prodigy burst onto our screens at the turn of the 2000s, leaving an indelible mark on British social cinema, and enjoying enduring success.
Indeed, the movie is set to the backdrop of a turbulent social context. From 1984 to 1985, England was shaken by miners’ strikes, who were fighting against the closure of mines pits ordered by Margaret Thatcher, seeking to undermine the foundations of trade unionism in the country. In this highly political environment, Billy embodies a tension between working-class tradition and individual aspirations, difficult dreams to embrace and pursue.
More than just challenging traditions, the movie plays with gender norms, still particularly exacerbated at the time. It questions social determinism, and street violence as the working class’ only weapon in response to the legislative and police brutality of the government. Fighting against stereotypes and advocating for acceptance and self-affirmation, it sets the pace for a little boy who dreams of swapping boxing gloves for ballet shoes and the ring for the dance studio. The conflict is embodied in the relationship between Billy and his father, which slowly shifts from incomprehension and rejection to acceptance and openness.
Jamie Bell, teenager during the filming, gives an iconic and touching performance, twirling to an amazing soundtrack, ranging from T-Rex and The Clash to composer Stephen Warbeck, who infuses the work with breathless energy. Lee Hall’s screenplay and Stephen Daldry’s direction—who has remained in British territory in recent years, working on The Crown— offer overwhelming visual and scriptural beauty, with social realism mixed with moments of choreographic grace. Parallels are drawn between dance scenes and the violent police repression of the miners, blending splits and baton blows, cartwheels and punches for a musical outburst of rhythm and emotion.
The legacy of the movie doesn’t stop at the silver screen, as it inspired Billy Elliot the Musical (2005), produced by Elton John. Leaving a lasting mark and influence on British cinema, Billy Elliot has also received numerous awards— BAFTA, Oscar nominations and so on.
As a result, 25 years later, the movie still resonates with younger generations: as a quest for self-discovery, tolerance and resilience, it has contributed to shifting perceptions of gender and dance since the 2000s, conveying emotion and hope, between realism and poetry.
A modern classic, Billy Elliot remains a universal, intergenerational artwork that is both intimate and social. Parents will identify with the protective figure of Billy’s father, and the most introverted young people will relate to the main character, who struggles to break out of the social shell in which he is trapped. In the end, that’s what the movie is: an invitation to reject expectations, to raise our voices for ourselves, and to dance “from the womb to the grave”.
“Jamie Bell in 2019” by Harald Krichel is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.