Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- brooding
- paranoid
- melancholic
- political thriller night
- serious movie night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film a solid but uneven political thriller elevated by Javier Bardem’s performance and its atmospheric tension.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rejas’s attraction to Yolanda becomes inseparable from his investigation into Ezequiel’s revolutionary network.
Yolanda, Rejas’s family life, and the violent state all intersect as the revolution intensifies.
Detective work, family life, ballet instruction, and public violence unfold under constant governmental and revolutionary pressure.
The plot takes place in an unnamed Latin American country ruled by a fascist government and threatened by revolutionary violence.
Films like The Dancer Upstairs, and why
State of Siege
shared political repression, investigative suspense, and morally compromised revolutionary conflict
No
shared Latin American political violence, paranoia, and intimate human stakes
Z
shared detective-centered political thriller structure and oppressive authoritarian atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- John Malkovich
- Release Date
- 2002-09-20
- Runtime
- 132 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (66)
Cast
- Javier Bardem
- Juan Diego Botto
- Laura Morante
- Elvira Mínguez
- Alexandra Lencastre
- Oliver Cotton
- Luís Miguel Cintra
- Javier Manrique
- Abel Folk
- Xabier Elorriaga
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Dancer Upstairs about?
- A principled detective pursuing a revolutionary leader becomes dangerously entangled with the ballet teacher who awakens his buried desires.
- What is The Dancer Upstairs like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Dancer Upstairs as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Dancer Upstairs violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Dancer Upstairs as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Dancer Upstairs?
- Critics generally found the film a solid but uneven political thriller elevated by Javier Bardem’s performance and its atmospheric tension.
- Which films are like The Dancer Upstairs?
- Films with a similar feel include State of Siege, No, and Z.
- How long is The Dancer Upstairs?
- The Dancer Upstairs runs 132 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Dancer Upstairs?
- In United States, The Dancer Upstairs is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
