Ralph Fiennes directs and co-stars in this dramatic portrayal of ballet star Rudolf Nureyev’s early career, leading to his defection from the Soviet Union to the West in 1961, at the height of the Cold War. Dancer Oleg Ivenko is convincing as Nureyev both onstage and off, and Fiennes plays master teacher Alexander Pushkin using Russian dialogue. From Nureyev’s poverty-stricken childhood, to his blossoming as a student dancer, to his arrival at the epicenter of western culture in Paris, to a nail-biting standoff at the Le Bourget airport, this is the true story of an incredible journey by an artist who transformed ballet forever. Rated R. In English and in Russian with English subtitles. Writer: David Hare. Director: Ralph Fiennes. (UK/France 2018) 127 min.