Though it raises
some valuable questions about society’s ideas of race in the art of ballet, A Ballerina’s Tale is the cinematic
equivalent of a vanity piece, for more interested in promoting the brand of
Misty Copeland than providing a thoughtful analysis of the questions raised.
There is certainly some inspiration to be found in the talented dancer’s rise
into fame, but it feels to easily earned in a film about struggles against
adversity. Perhaps many of the difficult times were glossed over in favor of
moments of inspiration, or it could be that the idea of discrimination is
merely a selling point for her image, reason to praise her more than others who
have worked just as hard.
