Rookies is a real-life, distinctly bob-glitz version of Fame, but with a lot more drama and a lot less sentimentality. It gives you all you could ask for: bright, beautiful young people with layered and complex personalities, a compelling story line, failure and success, meaningful relationships…and bucketloads of energetic hip hop.
Turgot is a Parisian dance school, bursting with hip hop talent from around the city, that creates a warm and supporting environment for young people from various backgrounds.
The documentary shows one academic year in the school, focusing on eight students and their teachers. It starts off with some very promising opening scenes, a few freshmen are interviewed, showing their vulnerabilities and fears, through which you can also see their anticipation and strength, and proceeds to get better and better as we follow their development. And, of course there’s the dance, edited cleverly and tastefully on the rhythm of the upbeat music.
The document delivers, taking a steady pace which is fast enough to drive the story along powerfully, but slow enough to give each of the eight time and space to develop into three dimensional characters. The film alternates between scenes in the classes, where driven teachers try to give the seemingly apathetic young adolescents the knowledge and skills necessary to face the real world. But their apathy disappears completely once they hit the dance floor, showing their brilliance, determination and true spirit.
In between, the students are interviewed. With brazen frankness they reveal their backgrounds: they come from broken or unknown families, have faced danger, abuse, poverty and loss. Their new home, which the school feels like, gives them a formerly unknown sense of belonging, appreciation, friendship and hope.
The connection between the characters grows tighter as they work together towards a national French hip hop competition, the previous final of which they lost against a competing school team. They are struggling with choreographies and assignments, forcing them to open up mentally and emotionally. The students and their teachers are watched very closely, and since the camera never leaves the premises – apart from when the competition takes place – you really feel part of this amazing world.
Because each of the students carries such a heavy emotional load, the documentary could easily turn into a tearjerker. But the makers intelligently steer clear from these pitfalls. It is clear they’ve given their relationship with their subjects time to develop: everything they tell seems to come from a genuine place, trusting the people behind the camera to treat it with respect.
The story slowly builds up tension, moving towards the competition and the end of the academic year, when the students have to face the consequences of everything they’ve done – or not done. You cannot but breathlessly follow developments, culminating in an exhilarating climax, and feel with each of the characters you’ve gotten to know and even love. It makes you long for a sequel, or a or Glee-like series, where we can watch our students grow into the best versions of themselves.
France, 2022, 115 mins
Directors Thierry Demaizière, Alban Teurlai
Cinematography Alban Teurlai
Editing Alban Teurlai
Music Pierre Aviat
Producers Romain Icard, Thierry Demaizière, Alban Teurlai
Produced by Falabracks, Tohubohu
World Sales Le Pacte
