Just perfect...

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

I am not a dancer. I do not go to ballet. I approached this film as a film because I was intrigued by the concept of combining quiet dance scenes with a plot and characters. In fact, I did not know there was a gay theme before watching. I am glad I did not.Ryan Steele (Chip) has done an impressive job as the central character. He has managed to convey the purity of a frightened adolescent while not seeming stupid. He infuses his character with the confused depth of a child whose single parent clings and psychologically abuses. If he has managed to do this with technique, I am impressed even more. My guess is that he drew this from within.Reed Luplau (Theo) manages to play the seducer without the jaded harshness of a beautiful gay dancer who has already been involved with other gay men. He plays a likable character with implied issues of his own. The formation of his relationship with Chip rings true. It is not cheaply melodramatic.Katie, Cynthia and Anthony are excellent as supporting characters. Well acted in each case. Each has some degree of individual relationship to Chip and Theo. Good writing. They could have been flat characters just there as background.The staging, lighting and music were excellent. The simplicity stunning and quite moving at times. This doesn't happen for me often with uneven production values of some indie films. All said, I was pleasantly surprised by this film, and then deeply affected by it.

I enjoyed this simple story about the intimacy and vulnerability that is experienced between a group of dancers (or any group of artists, for that matter). The main character was a gentle and torn soul. The cast did not appear to be professional actors, but delivered genuine performances. I found the soundtrack to be gorgeous (loved the Perfume Genius track)and well chosen. The cinematography was be impressive, though there was some strange editing, at times. An overall nice, sweet, and enjoyable film. My only gripe, and it's a small one, was that most all of the cast seemed to be on the verge of tears. This seemed to be a bit one-dimensional, but the mood shifted in the latter part of the film.

Being a dancer myself, I loved the fact that the film was centred around that theme, without needing to build a deep plot line. It told a story within itself. At times, it conveyed the characters' emotions possibly more than words could, it just fit, especially the piece nearer the end between Chip and Theo. I found it beautiful and emotional.I also really empathised for Cynthia when she's crying in her bathroom and we can hear her husband's voice in the background.I'm not sure what Chip's mum added to the storyline, perhaps it could have been replaced with more of a story line between the two men.The music was evocative at times, some I didn't like completely, I liked it when we just heard the dancers' breath and even when it was silent.Overall, it was a really enjoyable film, really emotional and it was brilliant when Chip started to connect with everyone else.

Ballet is typically a boring event to watch when viewed far away (as an audience member in a huge arts theater) but seeing it up close in a rehearsal studio setting; makes FIVE DANCES worth watching; especially because of the beautifully fit male bodies in action.FIVE DANCES is simple and slow with a few awkward moments but eventually you get used to it and just go along for the ride; curious to see what happens next. This film is also a subtle treat for gay men.There's no real plot or story to follow because this is one of those films that uses a few appealing elements to pull in especially gay viewers. Gay and straight viewers love cute guys with hot tight fit bodies. Seeing them move around in ballet style dance moves is forgettable but those few hot moments of intimacy between the two male leads towards the end makes this type of film moderately enjoyable and a little touching.