Short film review | Twenty

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A young, homeless ballet dancer gets an audition of a lifetime, but first she needs to find somewhere to sleep. Here’s our review of Twenty which screened as part of HollyShorts London Film Festival.

If you’ve never been to a dance audition, let me tell you what they’re like. You’re given a number and you’re surrounded by other dancers, whom you’re sure are infinitely better than you and then you’ll need to learn new choreography within seconds and excel and smile and not let it show that you’re absolutely freaking out inside.

It’s a difficult situation to be in, even if you’re not homeless like Emily (Lydia Brayshaw), the protagonist of director Jason Hogan’s (previously Jason Imlach) short film Twenty. The film takes its title from the number assigned to Emily at the audition for a big ballet company. The short then flashes back to the day before and Emily’s attempts to find somewhere to sleep. She dances on the streets, relying on strangers’ donations dropped into her hoodie she sets in front of her.

Read more: Short film review | Stillness

While Twenty doesn’t explicitly go into the housing crisis that’s plaguing the country, especially London, it’s the bogeyman that lurks in every frame of Hogan’s film. We never learn what happened between Emily and her mother, but clearly she’s not welcome at her house. Emily’s situation is dire and she never has a guaranteed place to sleep in, but that doesn’t stop her from working towards her ultimate dream of becoming a professional ballerina.

Brayshaw carries Twenty on her shoulders well and Imlach shoots the audition scenes fluidly, keeping the camera close to Emily. It’s a snappy, potent short that’s perhaps a little way from being truly powerful and memorable. That is, until the final scene, which is truly a marvel.

Twenty screened as part of the HollyShorts London Film Festival 2024.

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