BFI London Film Festival: Bobbi Jene

BFI Film Festival: 243 features. 67 countries. 15 cinemas. 12 days. One Festival.

Captivating dancer Bobbi Jene, star of the Israeli dance company Batsheva, lays herself bare as she embarks on a solo career in this sensitive and richly layered documentary. 'It made me want to puke, or come, or both at the same time': this is how Bobbi Jene recalls her first experience with Gaga, the dance movement created by acclaimed choreographer Ohad Naharin (Mr. Gaga, LFF2015).

After spending ten years in Batsheva under the instruction of Naharin, Jene finally decides to go home to the US and explore her own creativity as a choreographer. Director Elvira Lind joins her, subtly capturing the young woman’s ambitions, doubts, and creative process.

The extensive rehearsal and performance footage, intertwined with observational moments of Jene’s life with her mother or in the intimacy of her relationship with her boyfriend, unveil a brave, hugely talented and unconventional artist who pushes the limits of her body and mind.

(Notes by Laure Bonville)

Bobbi Jene, dir. Elvira Lind, Denmark-Sweden 2017, 95 mins 

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