Elle is a 2018 short film about a young woman with a dream for dance who faces challenges well beyond the routines.
As a creative and symbolic expression of more than the art form itself, dance has long been a filmmaker’s go-to for giving a story a bit more meaning. Such is the case in Florence Winter Hill‘s latest short film Elle, a gentle, surprisingly moving exploration of personal passion that also speaks of a larger institutional problem. It’s a subtle yet deeply engaging title from a young talent with a promising gift for storytelling.
In school, Elle (Isabelle Allen) seems initially easily distracted, daydreaming in class of stellar achievements on the dance stage, her teacher frustrated at her habit of being in the clouds. What’s more, she’s soon disappointed when she discovers that dance has been taken off the school’s curriculum this year, though she’s long been taking classes at a private studio. She’s quite good it turns out and is told by her kindly instructor (T’Shan Williams) that a scout is coming for the next performance. But there is a cloud over Elle’s seemingly star-in-the-making future. She is, despite her very young age, losing her memory and it’s changing everything.
Hill is the real story here, at only 19-years-old, she’s been steadily gaining some well-earned attention, including her contribution as visual effects assistant on Star Wars: The Last Jedi. This is her third short film in as many years, and with Elle, reveals a commanding maturity over the subject matter and its presentation, relying on powerful imagery rather than lengthy dialogue in telling what ends up a profoundly touching story that runs far deeper than the dancer’s fate. There’s a terrific moment when Elle asks about her grandparents that is made in silence that says everything we need to know, and in lesser hands would have been a contrived conversational-driven moment that would strip it of its power. This is smart stuff.
Obviously a commentary on the state of the Arts in school and the suppression of creative outlets for young minds, Elle is a remarkably nuanced and confident film that, even at fourteen minutes, has striking impact. Naturally, chasing dreams and overcoming barriers is the cornerstone of near countless inspirational films, and Hill seems to recognize the trappings of such, both playing into a few and subverting them into a larger message of awareness. It’s quite affecting.
Boosted by a sensational score by Giuseppe Alfano, which serves as much as a character of the film as the setting, Elle is a brief encounter that challenges its viewers to make some broader connections, though even if that link isn’t made, remains a powerful little tale of courage and harrowing honesty. In small moments, such as the lacing of a ballet slipper or the altering visage of an oil painting, the young girl’s condition is a troubling reality that Hill (with co-writer Peter Vaughan) handle with wonderful ambiguity, leaving much of its outcome up to the viewer. It’s just as it should be.
Elle is a beautiful tragedy by a young filmmaker who is sure to turn some heads, earning rightful praise. This is a highly-accomplished little film with powerful resonance that hopefully will get a larger audience. Dance is what motivates this gentle story, but it’s hope that carries it long after.