Director
Stephen Daldry
Leading Actors/Actresses
Jamie Bell, Julie Walters
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Jamie Draven, Gary Lewis, Adam Cooper
Genre
Drama
Language
English
Awards
Nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress
Date of Release
September 29th 2000
Producer
Greg Brenman, Jon Finn
Setting and Context
Northern England, 1980s, against a background of social unrest and miners' strikes
Narrator and Point of View
No narrator, but perspective is usually that of Billy Elliot.
Tone and Mood
Gritty, irreverent, comic, dramatic.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Billy is the protagonist, his father and brother are the antagonists.
Major Conflict
The main conflict of the film is that Billy wants to be a ballet dancer, but this is a socially unacceptable ambition for a young boy, so he must hide it from his community lest they disapprove. Once Billy's father and brother learn to accept his passion, the conflict becomes whether or not Billy will gain acceptance to ballet school.
Climax
The climax is when Billy auditions for the ballet school and answers the question about what it feels like to dance.
Foreshadowing
Tony's bullying ways at home and on the picket line foreshadow his arrest and the altercation that occurs there. Michael's crossdressing foreshadows his coming out as gay.
Understatement
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
Allusions
The film alludes to the political unrest in the north of England at the time in which it is set. Other allusions include Swan Lake and the band T. Rex.
Paradox
At first, Jackie would do anything to prevent Billy from dancing, but when he realizes his talent and his passion, he completely changes his tune and does anything he can to enable him to attend the audition, even putting himself in harm's way by crossing a picket line. Jackie's support and disapproval are at odds in the film, and constitute a kind of narrative paradox.
Parallelism
Michael and Billy are parallels for one another. While Billy wants to become a ballet dancer, a traditionally effeminate pastime that many believe is an indication of homosexuality, Michael is the one who is actually gay, even though no one suspects it.
