Joika  ★★★

A KIWI making a Polish film about an American dancer in Russia.

Sounds like a possible recipe for disaster but writer/director James Napier Robertson manages to give us a throughly interesting and entertaining film.

It helps of course that Joika is based on the actual experience of ballerina Joy Womack training at the prestigious Moscow Bolshoi Theatre.

As a 15-year-old in Texas, Joy was one of those kids with absolute determination and a willingness to take chances to achieve her dream of dancing with the Bolshoi.

The film charts her training under a legendary teacher in the industry, Tatiyana Volkova, including not just the physical and mental toll but also the navigation of Russian politics, made even more difficult, by her nationality.

The casting is very good with Talia Ryder as Womack, off the back of her performance in the 2020 drama Never Rarely Sometimes Always, and Diane Kruger as Volkova.

Womack choreographed the film’s ballerina scenes.

Watched on Apple TV.