Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
    Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2 But Why Tho 10

    Spider-Man Is Coming To Magic And It’s Just Like The Comics

    08/29/2025
    Star Wars Visions Volume 3 Black

    ‘Black’ Sets The Tone For A Bold New Mixtape In ‘Star Wars Visions: Volume 3’

    08/28/2025
    Olivia Colman in The Roses

    ‘The Roses’ Is A Reimagining, Not A Remake, And That’s Why It Works So Well

    08/27/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » TRIBECA 2022: ‘LIFT’ Is a Touching Testimony of the Transforming Power of Art

TRIBECA 2022: ‘LIFT’ Is a Touching Testimony of the Transforming Power of Art

Ricardo GallegosBy Ricardo Gallegos06/15/20224 Mins Read
LIFT
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

LIFT

Movies about ballet tend to focus on the enormous sacrifices that this art requires, often reaching extreme levels — Suspiria, Black Swan, or the recent Dancing on Glass are examples of this. It is also common to think of ballet as an elitist and artistic expression exclusive to the upper classes. However, David Petersen’s inspiring documentary LIFT breaks away from these notions and portrays ballet as an uplifting artistic tool that provides growth and hope even in marginalized communities.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

LIFT is the name of a New York Theater Ballet Community Service Program that provides scholarships to children living in homeless shelters. Steven Melendez started practicing ballet at the age of 7 thanks to this program and eventually became a world-class dancer. Now retired and serving as director of LIFT, Steven begins a journey through the city’s shelters to recruit young talent and provide hope for a better future through ballet.

In addition to Steven, Petersen follows three BIPOC kids from the LIFT program: Victor, a young prodigy with a promising future; Yolanssie, an intense and aggressive Puerto Rican girl; and little Sharia, who lives in a shelter (unfortunately, we don’t learn more about her).

Petersen follows these three people for several years — 10 in Victor’s case — which, in addition to giving depth to some of their stories, generates a feeling of satisfaction in seeing how they grow, learn, overcome life’s obstacles, or even manage to escape their complicated socioeconomic situation.

Victor and Yolanssie exemplify the value of LIFT and ballet in different ways. Thanks to Victor, we understand the potential of a social program properly structured and oriented towards creating a real change; the young man achieves his goals because, in addition to possessing a great work ethic, talent, and passion, he has the full support and trust of mentors interested in his growth. On the other hand, Yolanssie turns out to be a fascinating figure who illustrates the power of LIFT to keep young people off the streets. When she can no longer attend ballet classes and therefore has too much free time on her hands, she doesn’t know how to channel her aggressive personality, so she starts getting into trouble at school after befriending all the wrong people. Yolanssie presents a challenge to Steven, who uses ballet and his wisdom to try to pull her away from trouble.

As I hinted earlier, the film has trouble balancing the focus of its subjects. We learn a lot from Victor and Yolanssie, but Sharia’s impact in the story is minimal because Petersen forgets about her for long periods of time. However, her sweet presence and an important event in her life create tender and touching moments that go hand in hand with the general message of LIFT.

The film’s timeline is weirdly disorganized. Petersen introduces us to Victor when he is 10 years old and to Yolanssie when she is 12, but after a while, the Victor we are following is 16 years old. One would expect that when we return to Yolanssie, she would be 18 years old (Victor has aged 6 years in the film), but she is not… she is only 13. This temporal disarray, which goes back and forth between subjects over different periods and ages without any explanation, causes confusion and distractions. However, this time sin doesn’t deteriorate the overall experience because, ironically, the edition is quite fluid, and the overflowing passion that everyone shows on screen becomes a cozy blanket of optimism that embraces you and makes you forget any technical problem.

And to glue everything together is Steven, who, besides recruiting, orienting, and teaching homeless students, is exploring his childhood traumas through ballet: as part of his introspection, he plans a performance with LIFT students that, besides allowing us to learn more about the film’s subjects and their parents, eventually leads to a rousing finale. 

Although it encounters some bumps on the road, LIFT successfully forges a touching testimony of the power of art to transform lives, inspire, and create purpose. It’s refreshing to see such an uplifting ballet tale that captures its beauty and hopeful force while breaking stereotypes.

LIFT had its world premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival. You can learn more about the LIFT program on NYTB’s official website.

LIFT
  • 8/10
    Rating - 8/10
8/10

TL;DR

Although it encounters some bumps on the road, LIFT successfully forges a touching testimony of the power of art to transform lives, inspire, and create purpose. It’s refreshing to see such an uplifting ballet tale that captures its beauty and hopeful force while breaking stereotypes.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleF1 Manager 2022 Partners with F1 in Schools to Support Future STEM Talent
Next Article REVIEW: A Strong Premise and Middling Delivery in ‘The Wrath of God’
Ricardo Gallegos

Ricardo is a Mexico City-based bilingual writer, Certified Rotten Tomatoes film critic and Digital Animation graduate. He loves cats, Mass Effect, Paddington and is the founder of the film website “La Estatuilla.

Related Posts

Choi Gyu-ri, Shin Eun-Soo in Love Untangled
7.5

REVIEW: ‘Love Untangled’ Is Just Adorable

08/31/2025
Austin Butler in Caught Stealing
8.5

REVIEW: ‘Caught Stealing’ Marks An Exciting Pivot for Darren Aronofsky

08/27/2025
Margaret Qualley stars as Honey O' Donahue in the film Honey Don't
8.5

REVIEW: ‘Honey Don’t!’ Is A Genius Work Of Subversion And Fantasy Fulfillment

08/25/2025
Benedict Cumberbatch in The Roses But Why Tho
5.0

 REVIEW: ‘The Roses’ Lacks A Thorny Edge

08/25/2025
Mert Ramazan Demir in Abandoned Man
6.5

REVIEW: ‘Abandoned Man’ Lacks Depth In Its Take On Betrayal

08/22/2025
Ne Zha 2 promotional still from a24
10.0

REVIEW: ‘Ne Zha 2’ Is One Of The Most Epic Feats Of Animation

08/21/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Cosmic Spider-Man card details Features

[EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

By Kate Sánchez09/02/2025Updated:09/02/2025

An exclusive look at a new 5-Color Spider entering Magic: The Gathering’s Spider-Man set, and Cosmic Spider-Man is going to be a tough one to take on.

Hololive EN at Radio City Music Hall Events

Hololive EN At Radio City Music Hall Was A Pure Expression Of Fandom

By Adrian Ruiz08/31/2025Updated:09/03/2025

Hololive EN turned Radio City in New York City into the pure expression of fandom: chants, penlights, and community in perfect sync.

Karl Anthony Towns in NBA 2k26 But Why Tho
8.5
PS5

REVIEW: ‘NBA 2K26’ Brings Basketball To Life

By Kyle Foley09/03/2025

NBA 2K26 combines improved visuals with some important tweaks to keep the series feeling fresh in the latest yearly release.

Cronos: The New Dawn Nest
8.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Cronos: The New Dawn’ Does Post-Apocalyptic Psychological Horror Right

By Mick Abrahamson09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

While not particularly sacry, Cronos: The New Dawn is a lot of fun as a survival horror that puts you in the futuristic armor of the Traveler.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here