Dancing on Glass

Dancing on Glass is a 2022 Spanish drama film directed by Jota Linares which stars María Pedraza and Paula Losada.

When pressure threatens a ballerina in a new lead role, she and an outcast dancer create their own world, free from others’ expectations.

Character Irene is an outsider in the ballet company she relishes, but she’s holstered to the main stage as the ballerina lead for an upcoming play. With that comes pressure, and with pressure comes an abundance of stress. Dancing on Glass does not hide away from the complex nature of a highly prestigious dance troupe with an unforgiving ballet director. The film enjoys the grim nature of ballet, showing grim toenails and the unpleasant nature of young woman forcing themselves to throw up in the bathroom to cut weight.

But the real story arrives when Irene connects with another outsider, Aurora. Their intimate friendship challenges the reality presented to the audience. The two ballerinas create their own world. One where they both prosper; while Aurora cuts a lonely figure, desperate for a connection in the real world, Irene needs a form of escapism to perform, and Aurora’s intimacy and care bring that. Irene performs better with her friend in the room. She’s freer and less harsh on herself.

Dancing on Glass weaves complex story strands that the audience will take some time to work out in a story full of stern performances. The opening scene shows a ballerina named Maria dancing herself off a rooftop in an act of suicide. She was the previous lead ballerina. The Netflix film draws the spirit of the past while connecting the present, embaled in pressure, expectation, and deteriorating mental health. The unpredictability brings a similar correlation to Black Swan, where reality and self-created worlds merge, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Director Jota Linares pulls it off.

WATCH OFFICIAL TRAILER