Ballerina

In rural Brittany, 1879, a young orphan named Félicie Milliner toils as a farmhand under the jurisdiction of the stern Madame Gutierrez. Despite the hardships she faces, Félicie harbors a secret passion - her dreams of becoming a renowned ballerina. The young woman is especially captivated by the dances of the celebrated ballet of Cupid and Psyche performed by the Grand Opera's esteemed prima ballerina, Odette. As Félicie delves deeper into her fantasies, she beholds a captivating yet ill-fated image gracing the page of a wanted advertisement from Paris – a sought-after schoolgirl, she recalls an intriguing lithograph that seems to resemble the artistic drawing which she herself originally dreamed up. Seizing the life-changing moment, Félicie steals Madame Gutierrez' valuable family belongings, absconds from her wretched existence in rural Brittany and embarks towards the gleaming city of dreams. Upon her arrival in the vibrant, cosmopolitan metropolis, an imposing cityscape fills Félicie's eyes, but the air smells bittersweet of possibility and despair, speaking of many with big dreams shattered like fine porcelain. Her desperation, unfortunately, forges her onto an unfamiliar path - masquerading as a thief, she borrows the identity of a well-off schoolgirl named Camille, whose whereabouts remain unknown, leaving behind a bewildered and hopeless family. Tentatively, Félicie discovers her connection with Camille, and she resolves to leave this assumed persona forever. Or does she? Félicie subsequently finds her way to the esteemed Paris Opéra Ballet where she passes herself off as the missing student Camille. No one dares question this rather unlikely arrangement, due largely to Camille's prominent family position. Her daring endeavor sees Félicie securing a place among Marie at the renowned Grand Opéra house – something which nearly all would assume unattainable for a rural farm girl like her. Once at the highly competitive ballet academy Félicie rises through the ranks quickly with intense effort as well as stealth. Beneath the surface, however, as the ranks climb the façade of her alias conceals insipid reality constantly echoing - fear of getting caught looms at the end of every dance performance, as, en route, a person who dares imagine escaping their humble origins so resoundingly now begins questioning whether she is the impostor or the authentic one, thus adding new dimensions to the complexities that weigh down her internal struggles. Here, we find the emergence of life threatening rivalry. Félicie, posing under two contrasting personas before ultimately crossing paths with Odette, dances together with Madame Gutierrez – now their ballet teacher - on her initial night stage performance. As Félicie struggles each day at the Grand Opéra house in double existence between her imagination of assuming her newfound peer - Camille - and her dreamt existence far off the dirt grime of the farm. The gravity of losing this layered life looms before her. In her high-flying drama, however Félicie's determination is empowered when she continues meeting her dreams slowly stepping closer to materializing and has become much closer to unwrapping the intricacies hidden behind her adopted persona. And so as doubts cease to haunt Félicie that her secret keeps climbing higher every day, this seems like an auspicious indication of the blossoming miracle.