Billy Elliot Transitions

An individual’s life can be characterised by various obstacles and challenges that must be overcome during their transition to maturation. The process of a transition can be challenging for an individual, as well as offering final rewards for themselves and the wider community. Stephen Daldry’s film, “Billy Elliot”, demonstrates the struggle of acceptance by utilising film devices to exemplify the challenges Billy has to face through his socially non-accepting and oppressive context. By confronting filial expectations Billy transitions through the often difficult and complex process in order to achieve his dream. Throughout his growth, he also challenges and shifts the perspectives of his father and the community of Everington. In Eminem’s

Daldry sufficiently represents the challenging acceptance that Jackie and Everington goes through. Throughout the film, Daldry demonstrates the reluctance of Jackie about Billy’s desire for dancing, through “Billy, out now!”. The tone and pauses within Jackie’s dialogue enhances the emotions he is feeling about watching his supposed “boxer” son dancing. The close up shot of Jackie and his short few words encapsulates how shocked and volatile he is, as it illustrates the challenge of Jackie in accepting Billy. As Daldry depicts the shocked and concealed feelings of both Jacky and the boxing teacher in the ‘dancing for dad’ scene. He demonstrates this through Jackie walking out on Billy, with the boxing teacher standing there still shocked. As Jackie leaves, Billy calls out to him, which results in Jackie telling him to “go home, son”, further illustrates to the responder’s the unspecified emotions of Jackie. Daldry encapsulates Jackie’s paradigm shift when he goes to see Mrs Wilkinson about the ballet school, now believing that his son who has potential and helping him pursue his dream. The ‘acceptance’ scene, where Billy is nervous to open the letter to see if he got into ballet school, Jackie is also nervous for him. Daldry’s use of the recurring leitmotif of Billy’s mum’s piano piece enhances the suspenseful moment of truth. When the silence was broken by Billy, “I got in”, the scene quickly changes to Jackie running up the hill usually where Billy runs, as he reaches the miners social club, he yells “he did it!... did it!” which causes the community to cheer for Billy and Jackie. Daldry represents the transformations of both Jackie and Everington with the non-diegetic cheerful music. Daldry sufficiently shaped Jackie and the community of Everington’s metamorphosis by