First Position 2011

Mary F. Pols, TIME Magazine: At least half of these young dynamos and their families, all vying for coveted scholarships and spots in ballet companies, could brighten the most forlorn perspective on the state of the American dream. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: An appealing, largely upbeat documentary about young ballet dancers duking it out, sometimes on point and in tulle, for top honors at the Youth America Grand Prix. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: This is yet another competition doc in the unending legacy of Spellbound, but Kargman is light on her feet, and she has chosen to follow a fascinating group of kids preparing for the 2010 Youth America Grand Prix. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: Beneath the jetes and bleeding feet, First Position is about toughness of mind as much as visions of beauty. In one case it's about a transformation so profound as to be unfathomable. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: When it's over, you won't remember so much about who won and who lost. Instead, what remains is the expression on a young dancer's face, reflected in a mirror: showing the joy of being in love with what you do. Read more

Alison Willmore, AV Club: The stakes of the final competition [are] heart-poundingly high, even for those who don't give a damn about tights and tutus. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Because its subjects are so driven and so talented, "First Position," which is about ballet, is more gripping than the norm. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: I've become weary of documentaries about winning prizes, but this one is special because the kids are. They are ardent and amazingly accomplished, but they are also... kids. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: A number of the performances are plain stunning - Aran and Joan, in particular, seem born to move - and in many ways watching the movie is like watching a sporting event; there are winners and losers and favorites to cheer on. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Each of [the] six young subjects vying for the Youth America Grand Prix (and the priceless award of a full scholarship to a top ballet school) is a wonder of self-imposed discipline in service to art. Read more

Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: First Position overcomes its predictable elements thanks to the inherent visual drama of watching children strain their bodies to the limit in obsessive pursuit of their goals. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: These performers are so young, so serious, so full of dreams and so hard on themselves that it is difficult not to be moved by their striving. Read more

Jordan Levin, Miami Herald: Child ballet dancer and former journalist Bess Kargman brings a dancer's passion and insight to her directorial debut, illuminating the addictive magic and fierce demands of a ballet dancer's life. Read more

Linda Holmes, NPR: It's a great introduction to the intriguing mix of parents - neurotic, loving, pressuring, calming - who raise great kids who do great things. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Their devotion to their art is admirable, and the film gets under the skin, if never really in our blood. Read more

Farran Smith Nehme, New York Post: [It] seems fresh in the way it respects both the art in ballet and the discipline it demands - even in childhood. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: It's a triumph, in more ways than one. Read more

Ellen Dunkel, Philadelphia Inquirer: The film shows the grueling work it takes for young dancers like Zamora to look effortless on stage, and First Position shows teachers who range from supportive to borderline abusive. Read more

Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Chronicle: Yes, it is possible to create a gripping documentary about the ballet world without resorting to "Black Swan" melodramatics. Read more

Dana Stevens, Slate: First Position is an unabashedly inspirational portrait of what even very young people can accomplish with discipline and dedication. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: It's in the quick audience-reaction shots of the young dancers' exultant parents and cringing private instructors that the movie finds its most nakedly human moments. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: For someone (like me) who has never been to a ballet, the talent of these teens and tweens is a revelation. Read more

Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail: It does a great job developing its characters through its visuals - these are superphysical kids - and honing in on family dynamics. Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: Undeniably effective as drama, as we ponder the varying degrees of ambition and talent driving these young people to push their bodies beyond the limit in the hope of grasping a future in the spotlight. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: This material could have been assembled into a more creative and suspenseful narrative. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: If you have a yearning to feel awkward, inadequate and lazy, watching the whirling teenage (and preteen) talents in director Bess Kargman's First Position will do the trick. Read more

Alissa Simon, Variety: Never putting a foot wrong, tyro helmer Bess Kargman's touching, enormously satisfying docu First Position follows six gifted ballet students from disparate social, regional, economic and ethnic backgrounds as they prepare for the Youth America Grand Prix Read more

Nick Schager, Village Voice: The result is a film that eschews in-depth insight in favor of easily digestible who's-going-to-win suspense... Read more

Amy Hitt, Washington Post: It's an intense journey, and Kargman captures it all, down to the dancers' bloodied and bruised feet. Read more