Beadie Finzi's documentary has a narrow scope, but its story can't fail to grip. In a Rio de Janeiro dance academy, we meet two teenagers from the slums who hope to escape poverty through their ballet talents. Irlan Santos da Silva has the better chance: not only does he get a place in an influential competition in New York, he is awarded funds to cover the trip's cost. Meanwhile, Isabela Coracy dances wonderfully, but perhaps not well enough to overcome her weakness: by ballet's standards, she is a touch overweight. (Whether, being black, she will face racism in the ballet world is a question about which the film is noncommittal.) She is invited to the New York contest, but without a bursary. Her parents' determination to raise the cash is the film's big heart-wrencher.
PG, 81 mins