NYFF 2016 // A FILM REVIEW OF "RESTLESS CREATURE: WENDY WHELAN"

BY MATEO MORENO

In the world of ballet, old age can often mean your 30's. Definitely by 40, your time is coming. For Wendy Whelan, her time of professional dancing has come at 46 and she documents it here with the lovely RESTLESS CREATURE: WENDY WHELAN. It's unusual to get such an intimate portrait of such an acclaimed dancer like Whelan, and that's what makes a lot of this documentary truly fly. Directors Linda Saffire and Adam Schlesinger paint a delicate portrait of Whelan, a powerhouse dancer and a true "Star" in the truest form in the ballet world as she goes to get hip reconstruction surgery so that she can dance one more season with the New York City Ballet.

We see Wendy in rehearsal, in performances, and throughout the painful surgery. It encompasses what it's like to have the feelings of youth and fame pulled out from under you when you're not quite ready to let go. It highlights the beauty of a performance from 2014 that capped her illustrious career and showcases how she begins to move on and approach "Life after NYCB." The dancing is spectacular and the story is mesmerizing. It's a fitting tribute to one of the greatest dancers of our times.

MATEO'S VERDICT: SEE IT

DIRECTED BY Linda Saffire and Adam Schlesinger STARRING Wendy Whelan COUNTRY: USA

Playing as part of the 2016 54th Annual New York Film Festival. For tickets and information: http://www.filmlinc.org/