In 1961, Russian ballet star Rudolf Nureyev defected to the West – providing director Ralph Fiennes with a rich character for his third feature. This impressive, dance-heavy biopic focuses on Nureyev’s childhood, training, and life-changing visit to Paris as part of the Kirov Ballet, culminating in his decision to seek asylum in France. Meanwhile, Fiennes the actor opts to play Alexander Pushkin – St. Petersburg’s most respected dance instructor, who sees something in Nureyev’s passion, prizing it above pure technical skill. For years, it was believed that Nureyev had premeditated his defection, but The White Crow offers a different interpretation, treating it as a spontaneous decision – and therefore the most life-altering of his caprices. Although the film’s many ballet scenes are stunning, it’s this climax at the airport that audiences have come to see, using whatever clues Fiennes has supplied before, as answering the mysterious question of why he did it. – Peter Debruge