Pina is a documentary about dance choreographer Pina Bausch by acclaimed German director Wim Wenders, a project he almost abandoned when his friend Pina died during pre-production, but was convinced by her dancers to do it as a tribute to her. There are interviews with the many dancers who worked with her, and these are poetically rendered, voice-over on silent expressive faces, but the screen is mostly filled with astonishing dances performances. Four of Pina's dance plays were filmed, and we get long extracts of these, and dancers also got to do solos and duets in public - a Berlin street, on a train, in a quarry, etc. - showing off things they workshopped with Pina. It's a love letter to dance as a medium, and to its untapped possibilities as a story-telling tool.
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.
As 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.
I truly hope that the individuals who have felt "bored" by this film, that their negative judgement falls upon Wim Wenders and not towards Pina Bausch, one of the giants of contemporary dancing in the 20th and early 21st centuries.
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Siskoid
Pina is a documentary about dance choreographer Pina Bausch by acclaimed German director Wim Wenders, a project he almost abandoned when his friend Pina died during pre-production, but was convinced by her dancers to do it as a tribute to her. There are interviews with the many dancers who worked with her, and these are poetically rendered, voice-over on silent expressive faces, but the screen is mostly filled with astonishing dances performances. Four of Pina's dance plays were filmed, and we get long extracts of these, and dancers also got to do solos and duets in public - a Berlin street, on a train, in a quarry, etc. - showing off things they workshopped with Pina. It's a love letter to dance as a medium, and to its untapped possibilities as a story-telling tool.Sin_Escalas
For those who enjoy her work, there is an homage to Pina and her plays in the movie "Hable con ella" directed by Almodovar.Jackaloo
I'm not even into dance, but I found Pina to be surprisingly enjoyableturhank
What a great movie. A great collage of imageries, feelings, music and dance. There is no way I can understand people who found it boring.aracataca
Truly inspiring!kathulu
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 touching.
As 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.
Dimitris Psachos Springer
I truly hope that the individuals who have felt "bored" by this film, that their negative judgement falls upon Wim Wenders and not towards Pina Bausch, one of the giants of contemporary dancing in the 20th and early 21st centuries.thefilmstage
I love Wenders, but couldn't stand this one.Alias
FantasticgalexAlvarez
This was the worst waste of time ever. I've never been so bored in my life.domah
this felt like it was 10 hours long...excruciating.Skyscore
http://www.afisha.ru/movie/204963/review/383254/