The dance begins gently with men seated next to each other in front of a window looking onto a carousel, with the raising other of a foot, partially an invitation into playfulness, part flirtation, all “conversation.” The choreography—although rooted in contemporary dance language—has a healthy mix of B Boy-like moves as well as entangled limbs reminiscent of Rauf Yasit’s Rubberlegz. There is an ample use of gesture and weight-sharing as we follow them along, sometimes one dancer “listening” as the other “speaks.” The camera is always moving, which gives us as viewers a deeper sense of the passage of time and also ups our engagement into the two men and to the story. The locations are beautiful, and the color is lush, further drawing us into the romance of the film. The exchange and connection that emerges between them is delivered entirely through dance—a conversation, an exchange of experiences, and a sharing of who they are as individuals, entirely through movement. The beautiful score is ambient and instrumental—no hard hitting rhythms that the dance rides literally—and like the two dancers the score’s relationship to the choreography is autonomous yet completely sympathetic, and to this viewer, really beautiful.
At the end, we see they are still on the train, and we are left wondering if this is a hint of what is to come, or what might have been . . . and perhaps, the road not taken. Enjoy.
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