Review: JIG - An Insightful If Meandering Documentary

rating: 1.5

In a world where an entire nation can spend their Saturday evenings staring vacantly at the television whilst The Almighty Cowell barrages them with a conveyor belt of street dancers, a film about the good ol' fashioned Irish jig must be a hard sell. A celebration of a dance so cripplingly uncool that it makes the macarena look like the moonwalk, director Sue Bourne's documentary looks to rely upon the likability of its batch of wide-eyed talent to add universal appeal to its otherwise niche subject. Following nine 11-21 year-olds as they compete for the world title in the annual Irish Dancing Championships, Jig documents 365 days in the lives of the young dancers and their families as they aim for the top spot on the winners podium. The clear bright stars amongst the competitors are precocious chatterbox Brogan McCay and the bloody adorable John Whitehurst, two 11 year-olds with an intense passion for their craft and a humbling level of maturity. The latter is one of five football-loving brothers, who has found himself the subject of homophobic bullying due to his love of dancing, whilst the former is a bubbly and charming student of two hardened veteran dancing sisters. The support shown by their parents is moving, and is the opposite side of the spectrum from other documentaries of this ilk, where the talented child's family is often portrayed as pushy and mentally abusive. In this case the children want to dance for their own satisfaction, not their Mothers or Fathers, and it's refreshing to see. Unfortunately, the overwhelming approval given by their families is a major part of the problem with Jig; whilst it is nice to see these kids chase their dreams with minimal adversity, the lack of any real drama means that the film does a languid shuffle towards its finale rather than the hop, skip 'n' jump that Bourne was no doubt aiming for. It's a shame, too, because the characters we are introduced to are, for the most part, charismatic and inviting enough for this to have been an above-average exploration of the world of this cultural dance; Bourne just seems too preoccupied with fitting all of them in (nine back-stories is an awful lot for a 90 minute film), rather than exploring any of them in-depth. With the camera idly pointed at the dancers sitting in their bedrooms, their talk of their dedication to their hobby occasionally being interspersed with footage of them prancing away in their local community centre, it's difficult for anyone other than those already familiar with the goings-on within the world of Irish Dancing to feel any semblance of emotional engagement. As the competitors await their final scores with baited breath, the ensuing tears of victory/defeat are tiresome to sit through without feeling any personal attachment to the winners and losers. Sure, watching the cute li'l tykes get all excited automatically warrants a smile or two, but that's down to the strength of their own personalities, not the strength of Bourne's skills as a director. It's clear that Bourne understood the love, time and dedication that the dancers and their families put into Irish Dancing, and Jig certainly offers an insight into the goings-on of its competitive side. However, despite portraying her subject matter in a very flattering light, Bourne has failed to make a good documentary. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRFsErJuFzU Jig is on limited U.K. release from today.