Billy Elliot (2000)
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A working-class boy in a mining community discovers a passion for ballet despite his father's disapproval.
The story
Set in County Durham during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the film follows Billy, a young boy from a working-class family. While his father wants him to learn boxing, Billy discovers a passion for ballet after stumbling upon a class in a local gym. Despite his father's initial disapproval and the social barriers of the time, Billy's determination to dance leads him to seek guidance from a local teacher. As the community faces the hardships of the strike, Billy must navigate his personal ambitions and the expectations of his family, ultimately seeking a way to pursue his dream of becoming a professional dancer.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1984, 11-year-old Billy lives in a mining community in County Durham with his father Jackie, brother Tony, and grandmother. While his father wants him to box, Billy finds a ballet class in a gym and begins practicing in secret with teacher Sandra Wilkinson. When his father discovers his passion, he initially forbids it, but later realizes Billy's genuine commitment. Amidst the turmoil of the miners' strike, the family faces financial and social hardships. After a missed audition due to his brother's arrest, the community and family rally to fund Billy's trip to London for a second chance. Billy performs successfully at the Royal Ballet School, and in 1985, he receives an acceptance letter to study in London. The story concludes in 1998, showing a 25-year-old Billy performing as the Swan in a ballet, where his father watches from the audience with pride.
- Original title
- Dancer
- First release year
- 2000
- Runtime (minutes)
- 110
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Stephen Daldry
- Writers
- Lee Hall · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jamie Bell · Billy; Gary Lewis · his father; Jamie Draven · Billy's older brother; Julie Walters · his ballet teacher
- Genres
- coming-of-age; drama; dance
- Themes
- Poverty and social class; finding a voice; gender differences; Homosexuality
- Tone and mood
- heartfelt; moving; uplifting
- Premise and plot tags
- working-class; baller; miners' strike; coming-of-age
- Source material / true-story basis
- Dancer (play)
- Content notes
- Homosexuality
- Reception
- The film received positive critical response and commercial success, earning $109.3 million worldwide on a $5 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 85% · scale: percentage · review count: 119; Rotten Tomatoes · score: 7.30/10 · scale: 10; Metacritic · score: 74 · scale: 100 · review count: 34
- Awards and nominations
- Best Actor in a Leading Role · British Academy Film Awards · win; Best Director · Academy Awards · nomination; Best Original Screenplay · Academy Awards · nomination; Best Actress in a Supporting Role · Academy Awards · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled Dancer at the Cannes Film Festival.; Over 2,000 boys were considered for the role of Billy.; The film was adapted into a novel by Melvin Burgess in 2001.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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