Yuli

Movie

2018

1h 55m

Not Rated

Spanish

Drama

User Score:

7.1

Critic Score:

Watch on Kanopy

Play Trailer

Yuli

Not Rated

Movie

2018

1h 55m

Spanish

Drama

Play Trailer

Watch on Kanopy

Yuli is the nickname given to Carlos Acosta by his father, Pedro, who considers him the son of Ogun, an African god and a fighter. As a child Yuli avoids discipline and education, learning from the streets of an impoverished and abandoned Havana. His father, however, has other ideas, and knowing that his son has a natural talent for dance, sends him to the National Ballet School of Cuba. Despite his repeated escapes and initial poor behaviour, the boy is inevitably drawn to the world of dance, and begins to shape his legendary career from a young age, becoming the first black dancer to be cast in some of the most prestigious ballet roles, originally written for white dancers, in companies such as the Houston Ballet or the Royal Ballet in London.

WATCHMODE

7.1

IMDB

CRITIC SCORE

Where to watch

Available in 2 other countries.

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Cast

Full Cast & Crew

Santiago Alfonso

Pedro

Carlos Acosta

Carlos Acosta (Actual)

Keyvin Martínez

Carlos Acosta (Joven)

Edison Manuel Olbera

Carlos Acosta (1983)

Laura de la Uz

Maestra Chery

Carlos Enrique Almirante

Enrique

Berta

Amiga Inglesa

Julieta

Guía

Directed By: Icíar Bollaín

Written By: Paul Laverty

Featured Comments/Tips

miguelreina says...

4 years ago

[Netflix] A story of personal improvement that falls into the docudrama with no shame. The description of a character who is constantly fighting against his own talent is interesting, but this aspect is poorly developed. The ballet scenes are done in a flat way, with excessive respect for not breaking the stage, perhaps because Carlos Acosta's involvement in his own story is a mistake. It needs more distance.

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Saint Pauly says...

5 years ago

There's a scene where Carlos 'Yuli' Acosta tells one of his dancers, "At the part where you hit yourself in the gut, do it harder. Do it so hard it hurts, so we can feel it." I have the same note for whoever made this biopic. While there is much beauty in this story of the young, black Cuban who went on to become a famous ballet dancer, it misses its landing by eschewing story development in its hurry to skip to the good parts.

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Featured User Reviews

SWITCH.

5 years ago

'Yuli' is a stylishly shot and well-cast film, but it's not without its faults. Wonderful performances can't save the poor pacing and a confusing narrative structure. The overly ambitious script tries to portray too vast a period, and suffers from a pressured pace and perplexing timelines. It’s no More

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