Billy Elliott , by Stephen Daldry

                          Billy Elliott is a british film directed by Stephen Daldry released in 2000. The movie received a lot of prices.


The main character : Billy 

As the movie title tells it, the main character is Billy, an eleven-year-old kid. He lives with his father, his elder brother and his grand-ma. Billy's mother died a little time ago, letting husband and kids alone. The story take place in a village, called Durham, located in the north-east of England in 1984.. In those days there were a lot of strikes, because the miners had enough of the precarious work conditions. Billy's father makes his possible to look after his family.  Billy, him, goes to school, play with his friends, and goes to boxing, because according to his father, a normal young boy practice boxing, or football... But the fact is that our little angel prefers Ballet...



Billy and the ballet

One day, as Billy was boxing,  Ms Wilkinson, the Ballet teacher, give his class in the gymnasium because there were troubles in her usual room, caused by the strikers. When Billy see the girls dancing, he's focused, and kind of chocked. Apparently, he really likes it and then decides to quit the box and get into the Ballet group. Obviously, he doesn't tell his father, who wouldn´t really appreciate it. So now, Billy dances Ballet. He's litteraly absorbed by his new pastime, at the point that he's even dancing in the street, and practicing alone in his bathroom! However, Billy is really good... Ms Wilkinson noticed that Billy had a gift for dancing,  so she purposes him to join the School of Ballet, but eventually his father found out that he left the box, and things get complicated...










The father's refusal

After finding out that Billy left the box, moreover to dance Ballet, Jackie ( Billy's father) get really mad. Ms Wilkinson tries to convince him to let Billy take an audition in order to join the Higher School of Ballet, but he refuses again. He doesn't want Billy to dance any more and forbids him to practice. During this period of strikes, Jackie doesn't need more troubles. That's why he's really angry against Billy. But in reality, he's a very sad man, he's very demoralized by the death of his wife. One time, haphazardly, he caught him dancing, but Billy, courageously, despite his father caught him dancing, didn't stop, so as to prove to his father that he was really good. It is a success. After seeing his son's performance, Jackie realizes that he was wrong and that his son is really bright. He totally changes his opinions and even decides to return to the mine. This is such a crazy thing, because during the strikes, those who went down the pits in spite of the absence of the majority of the minors were insulted and beaten up. They were called the "scabs".
Finally, Billy obtain his father's agreement and goes to London to pass the audition.





The School of Ballet :




Accompanied by his father, Billy goes to the School of Ballet. After that, the jury will decide if Billy is able or not to join the school. The audition doesn't happen very well and Billy is impressed by the jury, he's truly under stress. After the performance, the jury decides to ask some questions to Billy and his father, about dancing, and their life and general.

This is when Billy admits, emotionally that, when he dances, he feels like flying... However, they come back to home, waiting for the answer of the school.
After a couple of days, they receive the letter : Billy is admitted. All the family burst into tears and Billy is full of emotion.
So, Billy prepare his stuffs, and leaves to the School of Ballet.

Synthesis


An emotional story of a little gifted boy who lost his mother, but however appreciates life and lives his hobby at one hundred percent. Thanks to his hobby, he finally managed to change the opinions of his father and of his brothers.