In-I in Motion

Academy Award-winning actress Juliette Binoche wants to learn how to dance, while acclaimed dancer and choreographer Akram Khan dreams of acting. It is 2007, and the two artists decide to create a work together. They have six months until the premiere.

Although Binoche and Khan are both masters of their respective crafts, the collaboration pushes each of them far beyond their comfort zones. The piece is developed largely through improvisation, and the camera, observing the rehearsal studio, captures intense dancing and acting, countless repetitions, and the artists’ intersecting creative needs. At times they sit around a table, searching for the words that might help the other understand when the work seems to have reached an impasse.

Alongside the artistic process, Binoche’s directorial debut also presents the completed performance, In-I. The work, which explores an intimate relationship, premiered in 2008 and was performed internationally more than one hundred times. Dominating the stage is a monumental red wall designed by none other than sculptor Anish Kapoor.

Nelia Naumanen, translation Espoo Ciné