3D film seems an odd choice of medium for a tribute to a choreographer. But for director Wim Wender’s tribute to choreographer and dancer Pina Bausch, this effect proves a stunning, effective tool. The ode to the late German choreographer features exquisitely beautiful modern dance numbers and the talent of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch dancers. Both a celebration of Bausch’s life and an experimentation in 3D film, dance and cinema enthusiasts alike are sure to enjoy Wender’s Pina.
Pina successfully captures Bausch’s unique talent for expressing what she often referred to as the “language” of dance. It is a visual masterpiece that celebrates Bausch’s exploratory, creative spirit, as well as her genius as a leading figure in modern dance. The artist’s choreography is characterized by a blend of soft, expressive flow with unrestrained, visceral body movement—as described by her own dancers, a combination of “fragility and strength.”
The dance numbers create visually intriguing, emotional, and at some points bizarre performances on screen. With effective staging in environments ranging from street corners to subway cars, each piece tells a story and never fails to surprise. The range of dances leaves viewers reflecting on themes of love, pain, sorrow, and passion, each played out through Bausch’s signature choreography.
One of the most striking theatrical components of Pina is Wender’s use of 3D technology. Donning the 3D glasses transports the viewer directly into Bausch’s world of thematic modern dance, which imitates the feeling of being on stage and allows viewers to engage with the pieces. As a dancer’s lone arm stretches out towards the viewer’s face, her body sinking to the ground in lost love, the audience is struck by the emotions of Bausch’s pieces.
Wender also deftly weaves interviews with the company into his documentary. True to Bausch’s style of dance, these interviews are unconventional. While their reflections in German are dubbed into English, the audience watches the faces of the dancers—silent, nostalgic, and introspective. This approach emphasizes the relationship that Bausch had with her dancers, and the sentimentality of how they remember her after cancer caused her unexpected death in 2009.
Many of her dancers expressed a shared admiration for Bausch’s creative vision and ability to feel movement. As one dancer remarks during an interview, “We became paint to color her images.” Others remembered the simple, if ambiguous, advice they received from her: “Go on searching,” she said. “Dance for whatever you long for.”
Intertwining these candid interviews with numbers choreographed by Bausch herself, Pina crafts a full picture of the dancer’s life. In this, Wender delivers a stunning memorial to Bausch’s pioneering style of modern dance, complimented perfectly by the innovative use of 3D. Her artistic legacy is encapsulated in the film’s ending quote by Bausch herself: “Dance, dance, otherwise we are lost.”
