• Home
  • News
  • Top Picks
    • Movies & Films: Top 25
    • Documentaries: Top 25
    • Films For Students: Top 10
    • Music Videos: Top 10
  • Categories
    • Film
    • Documentary
    • Shorts
    • Blog
    • Calendar
    • Links
    • About

Miss Liberty's Film & Documentary World

Libertarian Movies, Films & Documentaries

Billy Elliot (2000)

Tagged: Individualism

A young boy overcomes the cynicism and macho character of his working-class surroundings to become a great ballet dancer. [ Billy Elliot credits: Dir: Stephen Daldry/ Jamie Bell, Gary Lewis, Julie Walters/ 110min/ Musical-Dance, Drama/ Britain/ Individualism]

“This is a true gem and one of the best British films in years.”

There is something so universally appealing in the story of a talented dreamer overcoming the odds, that even if badly told it will almost always satisfy. And when well told, it does altogether much more. It reaches into the heart, past layers of protective indifference, and touches the gathered force of our own best hopes to remind us of the incredible potential for greatness we each possess. This film accomplishes just that.

Enter the world of Billy Elliot. He’s an eleven-year-old boy living in a small coal-mining town in depressed northeast England. Most of the people in this town, including his father and brother, have been on strike for years. As is explained in the film, they’re on strike because (then-Prime Minister) Margaret Thatcher is shutting down mines that are uneconomic—that is, mines that cost more to operate than the coal they bear is worth. Rather than accepting financial reality, the people of this town are resisting necessary change and are paying a heavy price for it. Obstinacy is part of their macho culture, as is violence and drinking to excess. As apparent preparation for Billy Elliot’s own entry into this milieu, his father signs him up for boxing lessons at the nearby recreation hall.

Instead, Billy decides to take of all things—ballet! It’s a fateful decision and one that he must keep entirely secret. Aided by his dedicated ballet instructor, the boy quietly nurtures his growing talent, against the gray backdrop of perpetual poverty and strike-related violence. When Billy’s father finally discovers the deception, Billy dances defiant in answer to his father’s outrage, and the father realizes he must choose between his son and his own failed culture.

The overall message here—to follow your dreams instead of the herd, to take the path less traveled by—is intensely individualistic. This message is not only implied in the actions of the characters, it’s mentioned in remembered words from Billy’s now-dead mother, and it comes up in the songs that make up the background music to events. In another plus from a libertarian perspective, the film also has a minor social tolerance subplot. All this is told in a tremendously touching way, with humor and a positive sense of human spirit, in which good people reach for their best and flawed people ultimately redeem themselves through good actions.

Billy Elliot has been compared to Flashdance, The Full Monty, and other films, but in my opinion there is no comparison. This is a true gem and one of the best British films in years. By the way, in yet another bizarre decision by the Motion Picture Association of America, this film was rated R. Yes, it does have a little foul language, but it’s entirely free of sex and is even light in its depiction of violence. By all means, thumb your nose at the powers-that-be and show your teen kids this film. Billy Elliot swept the British Independent Film Awards, winning “Best Film,” “Best Screenplay,” “Best Director,” and “Best Newcomer” (the latter for its 14-year-old star Jamie Bell).

External Reviews

“The best British movie for years.”
–BBC

“Billy Elliot has a freshness that makes it a pleasure to watch; it’s a very emphatic success.”
–The Guardian

How to See It

Netflix  
Amazon (DVD)
  
Amazon (Instant Video)
   
Online Video Search

Links

IMDB
Wikipedia
Book: Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot (The Musical)
“Was Margaret Thatcher a Death Eater?” Marc Champion, Bloomberg

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

  • RSS
  • Twitter

Featured Post

badass beauty queen

Badass Beauty Queen | Documentary

Anastasia Lin wins the annual Miss World Canada beauty contest and uses her newfound notoriety to campaign against human rights abuses in communist China. [ Badass Beauty Queen credits: Dir: Theresa Kowall-Shipp/ Anastasia Lin/ 100 min/ Documentary/ Libertarian Heroes, Anti-Socialism/ Country/ … Continue Reading

Snowflake

Snowflake: Bud Sugar Song Mocks Social Justice Crybullies

Snowflake is a great new song from the band Bud Sugar. It mocks social justice crybullies in a lighthearted way and to a catchy beat. This is just great fun. Some links for the band: YouTube  Instagram  Facebook  Twitter  Patreon  Homepage … Continue Reading

A Pity You’ve Never Seen An Old Movie: 10 Suggested Films

Per the New York Post, "A new study finds that less than a quarter of millennials have watched an old movie from start to finish that was made back in the 1940s or 50s and only a third have seen one from the 1960s." This is something of a cultural tragedy, as so much of what is great in the larger body of … Continue Reading

Themes

Abuse of power American revolution Anti-draft Anti-regulation Anti-slavery Anti-socialism Anti-taxation Anti-war Ayn Rand Corrupt government Creator as hero Democide Econ 101 Eminent domain Equality & law Escape from socialism Freedom of speech Free press as hero Government as bigot Government as torturer Government enforced morality Government healthcare Government schools Incompetent government Individualism John Stossel Law & liberty Legalize Drugs Libertarian heroes Libertarianism 101 Power corrupts Power worship Pro-capitalism Pro-immigration Propaganda Psychiatric coercion Resistance to tyranny Right to secede Search & seizure Second amendment Sexual liberty Social tolerance Unions & monopolies Voluntarism Working for government

Genres/Categories

Action-Adventure Animated Biography Blog Comedy Documentary Drama Family Featured Film Foreign History Horror Music-Dance Netflix News Romance SciFi-Fantasy Shorts Thriller Upcoming Western

About Miss Liberty

This site is a collection of films and documentaries of particular interest to libertarians (and those interested in libertarianism). It began as a book, Miss Liberty’s Guide to Film: Movies for the Libertarian Millennium, where many of the recommended films were first reviewed. The current collection has grown to now more than double the number in that original list, and it’s growing still.

  • RSS

© 2022 Miss Liberty's Film & Documentary World. All Rights Reserved

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.