The Bolshoi

The Bolshoi

Directed by Valery Todorovsky

Produced by Marmot Film, Valery Todorovsky Production Company

2016132 min6.1 / 10

An aspirational drama about a talented young dancer's grueling journey from provincial obscurity to the prestigious Bolshoi Theatre, balancing artistic beauty with the harsh demands of classical ballet training.

Young and extremely talented dancer Yulya Olshanskaya from a small mining town draws a “happy ticket”: she is noticed by a former ballet dancer Pototsky and he promises her a future of great ballerina, worthy of the main stage of the country. However, in order to become a diamond, anyone, even the most outstanding brilliant, needs to be cut, and the way to the legendary stage of The Bolshoi Theatre for Yulya lies through the walls of the ballet school, where the more capricious teacher Galina Mikhailovna Beletskaya takes custody of the rebellious provincial. Turning into a prima will require incredible self-denial, and Yulya herself will have to make sure that the big ballet is not only the whiteness of the packs, the gold of the boxes and the slip of silk ribbons. But no obstacles will stop the one who has the big dream.

Questions people ask

  • Does The Bolshoi end with hope? Yes. More hopeful than 81% of films.

  • Is The Bolshoi scary? Barely. Less frightening than 76% of films.

  • Is The Bolshoi violent? Barely. Less violent than 76% of films.

  • Is The Bolshoi easy watching? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.

  • Is The Bolshoi sad? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

33/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

You have seen this shape before.

Rarity89

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise8

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love25

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Like The Bolshoi

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as The Bolshoi

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like The Bolshoi, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like The Bolshoi, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like The Bolshoi, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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