A touchy story in the form of a documentary, but lacks substance
Madu holds all the promise of being a great movie. Is it a winning premise to make a documentary about a Nigerian dancer who breaks that glass ceiling? Regrettably yes, but that’s not the case. The over-stylization of editing and the uninteresting fly-on-the-wall approach of filming makes one feel completely hollow. And this is such a pity because there is so much potential here.
The film Madu lasts for about 1 not quite full 35 minutes and is centred on a boy from Nigeria called Anthony Madu. He gained notoriety when a video in which he was shown dancing on the streets of Lagos, performing some ballet steps, started to circulate and acquired many views. The documentary starts at this point. He manages to land a scholarship at a high reputation school so that he can live his dream of a professional ballet dancer.
Also, there are several bumps in the road, quite a lot of broken heart segments, and segments where Tony has to face several hindrances on his journey to shining in the world of dance… and that’s about it. The issue with Madu is that it is so absorbed in the current screeching wrangles of Tony that it doesn’t even care to explain the aspects of the character. When a 5-minute YouTube clip about this dancer gives you a lot more information, than a 90-minute documentary, there is something fundamentally wrong.
This now leads us to the second problem in Madu: the excessive concentration on Tony. Because with such an intense concentration on the current state of affairs, one learns very little about, for instance, how he came to ballet in the first place, what inspired him to make the video in the streets? Where did he find dance as a means for expressing his feelings? What of his parents? What are their professions? All of this is rather omitted because none of this gets addressed in the film.
Then we reach the wider perspective, again equally ambiguous and hardly elaborated. What has been the impact of dance in Nigeria and Africa for that matter outside this? Where did Tony get the inspiration to dance? What about the stratification of rich and poor and the classism and elitism that are associated with ballet?
There is so much potential for analysis and so much depth for exploration that the film consistently avoids. It is like being told that there is a beautiful view awaited on top of a hill, and what makes the whole experience rather annoying is the fact that there is no need to climb up further beyond the hill. Sure you went a little ahead, but where you went was not a very pleasant experience, to say the least.
Rather, we depict Tony as a bruised individual however, lens flares, ringing, and echoing voices accompany him throughout the scene. At times the above clips feel more exploitative than necessary and it is disappointing that the importance of surrounding imagery is not prioritized in the same way. More often than not, however, I think it is safe to say that Tony’s narrative is every person’s dream who yearns to break out from their shells, even if just for once. This search for oneself and their abilities is something that requires fierce determination and passion from within. Even though it is portrayed quite well, Madu incorrectly explains why the strength of belief is necessary to overcome the critics.
Madu is by all means not an unkind watch. If you appreciate a fly-on-the-wall approach to the documentary style, there is enough on this to warrant a viewing more so for people who appreciate dancing. There are some pretty neat dancing numbers and a few beautifully stylized segments of Tony’s dancing that certainly stand out. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a bit of meat to your films, to whet the appetite and leave you feeling satisfied, this latest offering from Disney does not do it which is an absolute shame.
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