The Dancer Upstairs

Having played directors in the recent films Shadow of the Vampire and I'm Going Home (Vou Para Casa), John Malkovich tries his hand at the real thing with the Latin American political drama The Dancer Upstairs. Based on the novel by Nicholas Shakespeare, the film stars talented Spanish actor Javier Bardem as a police captain in pursuit of a deadly terrorist leader named Ezequiel. Although the country the action takes place in remains unnamed, many critics have drawn parallels between Ezequiel and Abimael Guzman Reynoso and Oscar Durand of Peru's Shining Path.

As Rejas (Bardem) delves further into his investigation, he also strikes up a friendship with his daughter's ballet teacher, a strikingly beautiful woman named Yolanda (Laura Morante). As the city is increasingly enveloped in turmoil, with assassinations and terrorist attacks taking place on a daily basis, Rejas and Yolanda are drawn closer to each other. Their mutual attraction eventually develops into a kiss, but Yolanda, sensing the consequences of their actions, ultimately pulls away. A couple days later, Rejas discovers that Ezequiel has been hiding in the flat above Yolanda's ballet studio. When his police squad finally raids the building, he is shocked to discover that Yolanda is one of Ezequiel's unwavering supporters.

Malkovich deftly captures the country's sense of helplessness against the terrorists while simultaneously highlighting the corrupt government's role in the chaos. However, his decision to have his actors speak English instead of Spanish occasionally hinders the film, as some of the lines spoken can be indecipherable.

Also, the relationship that develops between Rejas and Yolanda remains somewhat enigmatic. Although Rejas is shown in an unhappy marriage (how he ever wound up with a superficial wife so much his opposite is never quite explained either), his friendship with Yolanda seems to come out of the blue. Bardem delivers a performance of quiet intensity, but Morantes, however beautiful, never quite matches this, making their pairing somewhat puzzling and uneven.

Though slow at times, The Dancer Upstairs does occasionally veer toward moments of beauty, such as the scene where Rejas visits the village he grew up in, or when he watches his daughter perform a ballet dance at the end. Ultimately, the film remains interesting for its evenhanded examination of corruption on both the terrorist's side as well as the government's. A timely subject, no doubt.