74. Creature; movie review

 

CREATURE

Cert 12A

88 mins

BBFC advice: Contains sexual threat, moderate violence

Let's be honest, what I know about ballet could be written down on the back of a playing card, so connoisseurs should probably look away now.

All I can really say for sure is that I enjoyed the grace, athleticism and drama of Creature without knowing whether I was watching brilliant dance or not.

Asif Kapadia, famed for his documentaries about Diego Maradona, Amy Winehouse and Ayrton Senna has given his film director treatment to Akram Khan's original concept and choreography.

His camera really is at the very centre of the action, picking up the nuances of the facial and body expressions of the lead performers.

I know from my reading rather than understanding from the film that Creature (Jeffrey Cirio) is a recruit to a military brigade's experimental programme at a rundown former Arctic research station.

An evil doctor (Stina Quagebeur) leads the tests of the mental and physical strain of extreme cold, isolation and homelessness.

However, the main thrust is a hopeless love story involving Creature and the station's cleaner (Erina Takahashi) who finds herself torn between him and a violent Major (Fabian Reimair).

There are themes of an outsider's search for belonging, the insatiable desires of the powerful and the enduring hope found in human connection and compassion.

And they are represented with vigour, especially by Cirio.

Indeed, the dancing is remarkable by all cast members - the leaps, the contortions and their synchronicity were all to be admired.

Indeed, a change is as good as a rest and I may well return to the ballet following my experience with Creature.

Reasons to watch: Brilliant dancing

Reasons to avoid: Quite difficult as a newbie to ballet

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7/10 (from a ballet novice)

Did you know? Creature is Akram Khan’s third work for English National Ballet, following Dust and his reimagined version of Giselle. It returns to the stage, at Sadler’s Wells, London from March 23 to April 1, 2023. 

The final word. Asif Kapadia said: "I wanted Creature to be cinema for people who love films, who love world cinema, the arts, but who perhaps have never seen dance, as well as fans of Akram Khan and English National Ballet."

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