How She Move

Don't be put off by the cheesy cover or the fact that this is at least the fourth film about step dancing to be released in the space of two years. How She Move is a touching, understated film with just enough plot to balance its dance set-pieces. Raya, an ambitious teenager, has to leave her private boarding school after her parents spend all their money unsuccessfully trying to get her sister off drugs. In the wake of her sister's death, she finds herself back in the projects where she grew up, with her dream of going to medical school dependent on winning the big money prize in a dance competition. It's not all that original, but the Julliard-trained Rutina Wesley shines as Raya, and Melanie Nicholls-King and Conrad Coates also stand out as her parents, destroyed by grief and hardly able to bear hoping for their younger daughter's future. The supporting cast do a fair enough job, despite mostly being non-actors chosen for their dance backgrounds. The dance sequences show the wisdom of this casting decision, while managing not to jar with the gritty, washed-out tone Rashid gives the rest of the action. If you liked Save the Last Dance, you'll like this.
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