Pina

Never had I heard about Tanztheater or Pina Bausch before, and from the first minute of this film, I was glued to the screen. Everything, from the emotion through movement to the truly excellent soundtrack, I was transported into a new world I won't soon forget. Writer/director Wim Wenders had been following Bausch's work for years, and was convinced post her death to finish this work by the dancers in her company.With the haunting sounds of music like "Einmal ist keinmal" and the powerfully visceral, expressionist "Rite of Spring", and everything else woven into this avant-gardistic human tapestry, it's hard not to fall in love with Pina's movements brought to life by the dancers. Her art shown purely through freshly filmed choreography, with a smattering of archival footage to remind you that the origins are indeed of the past. This is dance as a series of short films, as I have never really seen before. The choice to keep the dancers mic'd works like the perfect bridge between film and reality, and the background settings and sets used deserve a special mention.Although the motifs are often gendered, there are gender-bending elements throughout, and while a lot of women are portrayed as helplessly falling down, caught and supported by men, some men too support each other. Especially the André number is particularly **** a true admirer of dance, however lacking in the practical skill myself, this was without a doubt an exciting experience for me, but I do believe that even if you have no clue about the art of dance, it will still be an evocative and gripping watch not to be missed.

Engaging and fascinating. The film captures the wonders of Pina B's dance sense and her enigmatic character. The film flows well, uses imaginative settings for the scenes, gives you glimpses into the varied backgrounds of the dancers and leaves you enchanted. Wonderfully done.

Pina encouraged her dancers to dance what they longed for. So this movie could have been called The Therapy of Dance. What was it like to be a child in Germany in the 20th century? The dancers, with out saying anything about their childhood, will show you. This is not American "So You Think You Can Dance" expressionism. I'm American and was abused by Germans as a child, so I could watch the beauty of the dancer's movements and the beastliness of the acted abuse. Not everyone will want to see this.

The dancing was fine, but the symbolism is always the same: Self doubt, sex, self doubt, relationships, self doubt, sex. And the costumes and sets are always about the same. Which gives me the impression that Pina is a one-trick-pony. The dancers are asked to talk about Pina, but they only talk about themselves. After watching the documentary, I have learned nothing about Pina. And all the time, everyone had this inflated sense of how magically brilliantly super duper great Pina is. This is some of the most pretentious people I've ever seen. But then, halfway through the movie, I realized that this film isn't a showcase or exploration of Pina at all. This film is a documentary about a dance-cult. This is a documentary about the self-doubting, upper-middle class children who were **** into this bohemian cult of inflated self-importance and made to act out their own insecurities (in dance) for the one authoritarian figure they ever respected. Pina, whether she was aware of it or not, had become a sort of dance-prophet.

Very disappointing. Unless the sight of dirty, sweaty dancers is of interest, you will be turned off, as was I. The movie offers little insight on Pina's life. Once again, "The emperor has NO clothes."