On a remote Arctic research station, a captive creature (played by the English National Ballet’s charismatic principal dancer Jeffrey Cirio) is unwittingly enlisted into a military program that subjects him to sinister experiments. Amid this turmoil, he finds himself enamoured with a cleaner, the only person who shows him kindness; together, these two outsiders dream of escape from their dystopian surrounds.
Acting
Cirio's physical performance—no dialogue needed, every gesture devastates
Direction
Kapadia's pivot from documentary to dystopian ballet nightmare
Production
Arctic station as sterile prison—white-on-white horror
Director
Asif Kapadia
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Cirio and Takahashi are real-life partners at English National Ballet; Kapadia cast them after seeing their chemistry on stage.
Adapted from a 2011 Royal Opera House ballet, itself loosely based on Georg Büchner's unfinished 'Woyzeck'—the military-exploitation DNA runs deep.
US
