When you see the designation “3D” in the title of the film, you know what to expect. Either an action-filled flick with bodies flying through the air toward you, or a family-friendly picture with cuddly animals flying through the air toward you. “Pina” aims to confound expectations — and it does. This isn’t just a 3-D dance film. It’s a 3-D dance film in a foreign language — directed by Wim Wenders. He’s best known on these shores for art-house favorites “Wings of Desire” and “Buena Vista Social Club,” but most small cinemas don’t have the equipment to show 3-D films.
Moviegoers visiting the multiplex thus have a surprising option amid the usual winter leftovers. “Pina” really is unlike anything else playing in theaters now. It’s a breathtaking example of the possibilities of three-dimensional cinema. At least for its first half or so: It’s not clear whether this experiment is one gripping enough to hold viewers for a full 100-odd minutes.
| On screen |
| ‘Pina’ |
| 3 out of 4 stars |
| Stars: Pina Bausch, Regina Advento, Malou Airaudo |
| Director: Wim Wenders |
| Rated: PG for some sensuality/partial nudity and smoking |
| Running time: 103 minutes |
“Pina,” which has been nominated for a best documentary Oscar, showcases the work of the late German choreographer Pina Bausch. She died less than three years ago, during the making of this film. Her collaborators, an international group of dancers who speak English, French, Spanish and German, can barely believe she’s gone. Wenders has not only kept her work alive, but exposed it to an American audience that likely hadn’t heard of the dancer before.
There’s a real sensuality to Bausch’s style. The movements of her dancers are at once familiar and fantastic. “You always felt more than just human working with Pina,” one of them says. Her work, presented grandly on a big screen in 3-D, doesn’t feel larger than life; it seems to capture all of human experience.
The film opens with her version of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” but Bausch wasn’t just inspired by the classics. She also set pieces to jazz and popular music. There do seem to be some continuity issues here: Dancers sometimes have varying levels of sweat on their costumes. Worse, there are some silly moments that play to the prejudices of those who dislike modern dance.
Those are minor quibbles. Bausch had a distinctive style, one that’s transporting at first — but it seems less extraordinary the more the minutes tick on. We never really get to know the woman behind it, though. She sounds like a difficult woman with whom to work, not because of any personal foibles, but because she demanded much without giving much direction to those expected to dramatize her vision.
Still, “Pina” is a wonder. Wenders shows some of the work onstage, other pieces indoors. He gets the dancers out into the elements that mattered so much to the woman inspired by the world.
