THE WHITE CROW

THE WHITE CROW:  Ralph Fiennes directed this film about the defection in Paris of Rudolph Nureyev at his shining moment as the star with the Kirov Ballet.  Oleg Ivenko (a ballet star in his own right) portrays the young Nureyev in this engrossing biopic with Fiennes portraying Nureyev's teacher and mentor Alexander Pushkin in his early days in Leningrad.   The film darts back and forth with flashbacks to his youth in the Soviet Union as a guide to how he reached this pinnacle in his life.  But, the big plus here is when Ivenko takes the stage and dances...…Shear magic albeit too few scenes but he is and certainly channeling Mr. Nureyev in his performance.  And the turning point (no pun intended) of the deflection in the Paris Airport is intriguing and suspenseful.  This film may not be for everyone but if you know bits and pieces of the story, this film will fill in all the blanks.  I found it mesmerizing!