Billy Elliot: Filming Childhood

Considering how much I adore musicals or any good, grounded coming of age story it's strange how late to the party I am on this one. Until yesterday I had never seen Billy Elliot.

I knew of it, of course. This 2000's classic has weaved its way into pop culture and reached a wide audience due to the way it handles difficult themes of poverty, freedom, abuse, redemption, self-expression and identity through a story that is both uplifting and deeply emotional. I knew I'd like it. I didn't know I'd love it.

Due to the enduring nature of this film it's been discussed a lot over the years so I was wondering if there was any new angle I could bring to a discussion about it. Then I started to think about why Billy Elliot has stood the test of time compared to other coming of age dramas that seem to drift away as their audience grow up. So, today I'm talking about what I believe is the greatest strength of Billy Elliot, how it portrays and films childhood.

For those who don't know, Billy Elliot is about a young boy (Jamie Bell) who lives with his grandmother, father and brother in a council house during the 1984 Miners strike. Times are tough. With his grandmother battling dementia and his father and brother fighting on the picket lines Billy has to develop a premature sense of independence, guided by the memory of his mother who died when he was very young. Every week Billy's dad (Gary Lewis) gives Billy 50p to go for Boxing lessons. Due to lack of space Mrs Wilkinson's (Julie Walters) ballet class also starts using the same hall, hence his fascination with dance begins. Billy eventually joins the ballet class unbeknownst to his family. When his dad finds out tensions reach fever pitch and the situation at home turns violent. Billy has to be taught in secret, Mrs Wilkinson and her hilariously blunt daughter let Billy practice in their house and he gets an audition for the royal ballet. Frustrated by Billy's lack of support Mrs Wilkinson decides to confront his family but this backfires, only making the situation worse. However, one day his dad sees him dance and despite all of their hardships he decides to help him get to his audition, leaving everything he believes in to abandon the picket line and go back to work so he can fund his son's dream.

Many trace the enduring nature of this film down to Gary Lewis' portrayal as Billy's dad. As one of the two main adults in Billy's life his dad has the biggest arc. From a damaged, overprotective and frustrated man to a father who supports his child no-matter what his change is gradual, beautifully performed and still relevant to both children and adults alike. As relevant as his role is though it would have been all for naught if Billy himself hadn't been portrayed as authentically and subtly as he was.

"Child actors" usually have very little going for them and it's not usually their fault. Either they've been written as annoying miniature adults, given cutesy lines that are meant to pull at our heart strings or they are completely neglected providing nothing but a barrier to the plot. We've all been children and we all see children on a daily basis, which is why authenticity is so important. If a child isn't portrayed as a child then it's jarring.

And there is nothing less authentic than a kid reciting lines like this is their 10th take and somebody is holding a lollipop off camera. Nobody can relate to that kind of stiltedness.

Billy Elliot does have an advantage in that it's main character is meant to be around 11 years old (Jamie himself was two years older at the time) so we have an actor who is old enough to act instead of just recite and what a fantastic performance he gives. Bells performance in this film is perfect. His maturity comes from a place of neglect, his mannerisms are subtle yet have an energy to them. Actually his whole performance has an energy to it which is perfectly in line with the character and how we know adolescent boys. One thing I noticed while watching the film is how much freedom of movement Bell has. Not just in his dance scenes but in normal conversation. It was likely a directorial decision to give Billy that kind of nervous energy and simple actions such as standing up, making gestures and moving around the space. This lets the character come through in more ways than just dialogue. How would Billy Elliot make toast? He'd jump up on the counter with a plate in hand ready to catch it of course.

This childlike energy is also captured through the camera lens by using longer shots to show the nuances whether deliberate or not in Bell's performance. When characters talk high and low angles show their relationships with each other. In a particularly effective scene, after Billy's father has hit his brother we get a wide high angle of Billy cowering in the doorway. We see how small and how trapped he feels, his movements contained to just a slit in the doorframe.

I wasn't surprised to see that Brian Tufano was the cinematographer for this film. Although the story is quite a departure from the lurid and manic world of Trainspotting there is an element of organicness that his style is known for in the grain, stark contrast between steadicam shots and hand held and the way he beautifully films set-pieces with an emotional weight. His playfulness with the cinematography is as curious as Billy himself which brings a wonderful, youthful spirit to the film.

However, the one element that I really think makes this film portray childhood so beautifully is the dialogue. None of the kids in this film are squeaky clean, swearing, shouting and talking to each other AS KIDS DO! Looking at the family dynamic the film creates having Billy as some kind of angel would have made him feel like an alien. It's also worth remembering that the film is set in the 80's so while the homophobic slurs may disconnect some audience members with his character it is the way kids like them would have talked. There are a few scenes in the film that made me think of the 2014 film Pride, which deals with some similar scenes and is set in the same timeframe around similar social issues such as the miners strike and hostility around at the time towards LGBT people.

This kind of conflict becomes interesting with the revelation that Billy's friend Michael is gay, one of my favourite coming out scenes of all time. Their friendship becomes the bedrock of Billy's own arc. One of self acceptance and ability to accept the difficulties others go through. His character development is the journey we all go through when we realise that nobody has a perfect life and the sacrifices that our families have made for us along the way.

Billy Elliot is an outstanding film that deserves to be re-visited, adult or child. It holds up as a fantastic and relevant story about family, identity and self expression in times of hardship which is still as affecting today as it was 18 years ago when the film premiered.