Without seeming to try at all, Altman captures the intricate interrelationships between the staff and dancers. This feels like improv, and yet it's too finely attuned to be an accident--beautifully shot and edited, with scenes that are telling and vital without ever being pushy. There are only a handful of actors amid the actual company, and Campbell (who also produced the film and came up with the idea) fits in seamlessly, drawing on her dancing experience and making Ry a focussed loner who still has the ability to enjoy life on her own terms. McDowell gets the far showier role as the broad, funny, meddling director.

The behind-the-scenes stuff touches on the creative rehearsal process, casting, injuries, politics and romantic entanglements, but in an everyday way that never gets cinematically manipulative. This is punctuated by performances that inventively blend stage and screen imagery. An early sequence in which Campbell and Rubio perform a tender pas de deux in the park while a storm brews around them is very effective (if a little contrived), as is the hilariously over-the-top final performance. The other standout scene is a muscular and passionate solo rehearsal piece by Robertson. There's no real plot here, but there is a progression as we get to know the characters and their lives. It's almost imperceptibly subtle, but like ballet itself it's a remarkable experience if you let it wash over you.