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I am a former professional ballet dancer, and this is the first and only film about ballet I have ever seen that is not corny, fake, and embarrassing. All of the ballet dancers are portrayed by real ballet dancers, and Oleg Ivenko, the dancer/actor who plays Nureyev, does an excellent job evoking his look, his personality, and his dancing style. It is difficult for a 21st century ballet dancer to recreate the technique and style of a dancer of sixty years ago, but Ivenko has done it as well as it can be done. The story of Nureyev's childhood, youth, and defection to the West closely follow his book that was published shortly after the events. The dancing scenes are spectacular--my only wish is that there had been more of them. Thank you Ralph Fiennes, you did the best job, so far in the history of cinema, of presenting the story of a ballet dancer. And the decision to have everyone speak their own language, with subtitles, was brilliant. Some of us can actually watch a movie and read at the same time.