Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Elise thought she had the perfect life: an ideal boyfriend and a promising career as a ballet dancer. It all falls apart the day she catches him cheating on her with her stage backup; and after she suffers an injury on stage, it seems like she might not be able to dance ever again.
Rise (2022) follows a fairly familiar sports/dance drama arc — talented performer suffers setback, rebuilds through adversity, finds new form of expression — without meaningfully subverting its genre conventions. The plot hits predictable beats: betrayal, injury, recovery, and redemption. Acting is competent and earnest, elevating the material above its formulaic bones. Cinematography is serviceable, with decent dance sequences but nothing visually distinctive. Novelty is low given how closely the film tracks well-worn dance-drama territory. The ending provides satisfying closure consistent with the genre's expectations, landing solidly but not memorably.