Does "Pina" live up to the praise from 3D movie critics?

Movie poster from IMDB

When I sat down to watch "Pina" at the Indiana University Cinema, I came full of expectations.

For the past few months, 3D film critics have been lavishing "Pina" with boundless praise, touting it as the film that at last shows the beauty and range of potential of 3D.  Last spring, we filmed in 3D the world-renown tango dancers Fernanda Ghi and Guillermo Merlo in their This is Tango Now! show.  The 3D footage from this show is breath-taking and as such, I, too, have been awed by 3D's ability to immerse the audience in the flow of dance.  Our stereographer for This is Tango Now! followed close to the dancers, resulting in footage that reached forward into the audience (from where they usually sit far from the action) and pulled them in beyond the exclusive front row to a distance closer than they've ever sat before.

The IU Cinema lights dimmed, some stranglers trickled in, and I continued to wait and wonder.  Will Pina blow me away?

The answer was a resounding "yes."  One of my close friends is a ballerina and I am trained as a professional ballet supporter.  With each dance performance I watch, I grow slowly in my understanding of the language and story of dance.  For this reason, I already knew I would enjoy watching the dance aspect of "Pina," and in my own feeble way piece together my version of the choreographer's story.

In terms of the 3D, the volume of different urban and natural locations yielded a visual and depth feast.  Most 3D films are shot against green screens.  This allows more control of the depth budget and possible stereowindow violations.  Most 3D films also walk a safe line with the plane of focus set on the main characters, often resulting in a narrower depth budget, a blurred background, and virtually no negative parallax.

But not "Pina."  While the plane of focus was generally set on the main characters, the interaxial distance and consequently the depth budget expanded for deep settings like an old factory and contracted to accommodate shooting in a small room.  Edge violations were minimal and only an occasional lens flare caused discomfort.  Negative parallax was alive and vibrant as the dancers and environment advanced into the theater space toward the audience, making scenes closer and more intimate.

Consider "Pina" a powerful gust of fresh air that will blow away the riff-raff of studio 3D conversions and 3D productions, intending to capitalize on the higher ticket sale potentials.

In general discussions after the film, others have reported the sweet words I have hoped to hear.

"I've always been unsure about 3D but maybe there's something to it."

If you have a gripe against 3D, I'm not surprised.  The usual 3D offerings give an abundance of reasons for complaints.  But "Pina" has come along and echoed into the "Avatar" chorus of what the benefit of 3D can be.  Wim Wenders hit the 3D of "Pina" out of the park and my hope is that more and more audience members will watch Pina's choreography and realize the potential of 3D and dance.  Not only that, "Pina" has renewed my excitement for our filming of Ghi and Merlo's upcoming tango show "Identidad."

Documentary filmmakers may leave with some complaints but as a dance and 3D enthusiast, I came full of expectations that were not only met but exceeded.

-Sophia Parkison