How much you relate to the documentary “Bobbi Jene” may depend on how you evaluate the kind of dancing that she does. Director Elvira Lind follows the career and life of Bobbi Jene Smith, who was born in the U. S., studied here and then achieved success in Israel with the Batsheva Dance Company.
Restless as to how she wants to express herself and seeking growth within the art of dance, Smith eventually returns to America and then visits Israel again. Much also has to do with the trajectory of her relationship with her Israeli boyfriend.
A key decision in her life is to strip away all to reveal her inner emotions through dance, and that results in her deciding to perform nude. Lind films Smith in her nakedness as she reveals herself totally before an engrossed audience.
How effective is this performance? I leave it to you to decide, as I personally don’t see anything spectacular in the dance she performs in her revealed nudity. To get on the same wavelength of the artist one must be able to appreciate what she is doing artistically in order to warm to her emotional concept.
Lind pursues her subject with dedication, and works hard to reflect Smith’s attitudes and conflicts. An Oscilloscope release. Reviewed October 22, 2017.