Release: Pirouette

 

Pirouette

Genre: Drama

Director: Maïwenn

Writers: Jimmy Ellis & John Malone

Cast: Monica Barbaro, Johnny Depp, Emma Mackey, Karl Glusman, Nestor Carbonell, Molly Parker

Budget: $25,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $19,009,555

Foreign Box Office: $20,091,000

Total Profit: -$4,332,122

Reaction: Just a small loss here for a Europe-set drama about a ballerina. Given the context and subject matter, we are happy that this one came as close as it did to breaking even.

“Yes, friends, even the world of ballet is full of politics and tension, especially for Lauren who has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Monica Barbaro is fantastic as the ballet dancer on her last slipper and Jimmy and John have managed to craft three separate plot points without any feeling rushed or hackneyed. I don’t know if it’ll be for everybody, but it’s more than worthy of being a leading lady on the stage.” - Mitchell Parker, New York Times

"Pirouette is an elegant, emotionally bruising backstage drama elevated by a terrific Monica Barbaro performance and Maïwenn’s immersive direction. Barbaro convincingly sells both the physical strain and emotional desperation of Lauren’s pursuit of greatness, while Johnny Depp gives quietly compelling work as the demanding, morally ambiguous Jean-Claude. The film occasionally leans into familiar “art demands sacrifice” territory, but its emotional honesty and richly observed ballet world keep it compelling. Emma Mackey is also wonderfully icy as Lauren’s rival." - Jon Farrell, Hollywood Reporter

"Pirouette is the kind of adult, actor-driven drama that Hollywood talks about making and rarely does. Maïwenn’s direction is intimate without being precious, and she understands how obsession curdles into self-mythology. Monica Barbaro gives a career-best performance, capturing both the physical rigor of ballet and the emotional tunnel vision that comes with chasing artistic validation at all costs. Johnny Depp, used sparingly and effectively, plays Jean-Claude Beaufort as a quietly corrosive presence — not a monster, but something more unsettling: a man who mistakes control for mentorship. The film’s final act is bracing in its refusal to offer easy catharsis. Pirouette doesn’t celebrate ambition so much as interrogate what it hollows out, and that restraint is what makes it linger." - Reggie Coscarelli, San Fernando Valley Sun

Rated R for sexual content, language, and some nudity.