Billy Elliot - The Story of Dancer growing up in a Town Called Malice
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By Hannah Schmidt-Rees
Directed by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot is a film that explores social class, youth, gender stereotypes, masculinity, sexuality and identity. Set in a Northern England mining town during the 1984 miner's strike, the film focuses on Billy Elliot an 11 year-old boy that finds a love for ballet while the rest of his life is thrust into conflict.
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At its core, Billy Elliot tells the tale of two different stories. A story of a boy fighting for his right to dance and the story of a town fighting for its right to work. Billy fights against the confines of his life and the traditional standards of gender and masculinity within it. His father and older brother however, fight against the actions of the Thatcher government and for their livelihoods. It's only when these two stories collide that a raw and endearing tale of identity and acceptance between a father and son is revealed. Much like the town around him, Billy's family is full of traditional views; traditional masculinity handed down the generations like a family heirloom. Billy's grandfather was a boxer and a miner, and so was his father, and so is his older brother. During a boxing lesson, Billy discovers and (secretly) joins an all-girl ballet class. His finds himself falling in love with dancing, and dreams to become a professional ballet dancer. Billy uses dance as a way to express the anger, loss and confusion he experiences.
Billy constantly feels imprisoned by his family's traditional views as he pursues his dancing career. His father finds out about his lessons and forbids from taking any more ballet lessons since "lads do football, boxing or wrestling - not friggin' ballet!". Due to his own traditional masculinity (put into crisis by the miner's strike), his father is against ballet because he believes that Billy should engage in activities that allow him to be physically stronger to become a miner and provide for his family.
This conflict between Billy and his father culminates in one of my favourite scenes. Billy, surrounded by a town full of violence and tradition and frustrated that his father is against his love for ballet, angrily dances down the empty streets of his neighbourhood. This scene is one of my favourites because it doesn’t take Billy's feeling lightly. In sync with The Jam's 'Town Called Malice', Billy tap dances; stomping and kicking against the physical and metaphorical walls of his life. His emotion is real and unrestrained and I have so much love for it.
Billy's love for ballet prevails, and he continues his lessons in secret. The story continues, and every conflict that Billy experiences culminates in his audition for The Royal Ballet School. After his audition, one of the judges asks Billy; "What does it feel like when you're dancing?" After a few seconds of thinking, Billy replies: "Don't know. Sorta feels good. Sorta stiff and that, but once I get going... then I like, forget everything. And... sorta disappear. Sorta disappear. Like I feel a change in my whole body. And I've got this fire in my body. I'm just there. Flyin' like a bird. Like electricity. Yeah, like electricity."
How perfectly does this describe how self-expression can set you free?
The previous sources of conflict in the film are resolved through his audition scene. Billy's ability to express how ballet makes him feel and how important it is to him, helps his father see break his traditional masculine views in order to support his son. Billy Elliot takes the view that Billy isn't the person that needs to change, it's his father. Billy's love and pursuit for ballet helps his father heal and grow as a person. This audition also coincides with the end of the miner's strike, as the miner's lost jobs were redirected to other industries and the violence stopped.
The uplifting story of Billy's coming-of-age and exploration of his identity is juxtaposed with the violent and pressurised story of transformation within his family and his town. The gracefulness of Billy's ballet dancing contrasts with the violent fights between the miners and the police. Billy's naivety and innocence contrasts with the adult struggles around him.
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Billy Elliot is my one of favourite films. It always has been and it always will be. I remember watching it as a kid, not understanding the bigger picture, but falling in love with and relating to Billy's journey. As a kid, I loved to dance. I went to ballet lessons and wanted to become a professional dancer. Like Billy, I felt free when I danced. I didn't have to think about anything, I just let the music wash over me and lived in the moment. Nothing made me feel more free.
If you haven't seen Billy Elliot, I highly encourage you to watch it. The deeply raw and emotional story of Billy's pursuit for his dream and the realistic tackling of masculinity and gender stereotypes is incredibly inspiring and one to be admired. God, I love Billy Elliot,, so much.