This is an amusing short film, but too long. The sweet story of a pre-teen boy with music taste much older than he, runs for 19 minutes and 24 seconds. I think the story could have been told better in about five minutes.

Cut the mother out altogether, she adds nothing to the film and her acting actually serves to bring the piece down a notch or two. Then drastically cut down the ballroom scenes where all we see is the male instructor giving instructions. All the cuts to the audience where parents were looking at their children, those were not interesting and I don't think they drove the story forward. I would recommend that they be cut out or edited down.

In Smallroom Dancing pre-teens are taught various ballroom dancing techniques including the waltz, cha-cha and the linney at classes they go to every few weeks. The lessons also provide them direction in social grace. They are taught to sit up straight with their legs and arms positioned just so. They are advised on how to engage in small talk and what topics are appropriate to discuss and it is obvious appropriate dress codes have also been covered.

The big let down in this film is that the dance elements were not filmed in any sort of interesting way. It is the first film where dance is major component, that I have seen such neglect.

What kept me going through the piece was my personal love of dance. The development of the main character Martin and his partner Margo were good and shone through in performances by Conor Donovan and Sami Horneff.

In its content and direction Smallroom Dancing is much more a piece for television than for the big screen. Certainly the ending was indicative of the formula teen sit-coms of the US.

Cathy Stovell