“A Movement of Movement” is a beautiful new documentary by Mark Pedri about Pilates, both the man and his method. Interviews with Pilates teachers and students, archival footage of Joseph Pilates, and gorgeous scenes of people doing Pilates are combined with images of things like cats, war, a kite surfer, and a pianist. These seemingly unrelated elements are artfully mixed to paint a picture of who Joseph Pilates was, and what Pilates is today.
We’re given an abbreviated personal history of Pilates the man. Some of the folklore about Joseph is testified to as fact and other aspects of his history aren’t really explored at all. Mention of Clara is noticeably absent and there aren’t stories of Joe by those who knew him. But the purpose isn’t to be a comprehensive biography of Joseph Pilates. The objective is an exploration of what circumstances in Joe’s life led him to develop his method and make it his life’s work.
We also get an abbreviated history of Pilates the method. The different elders are not discussed and I think that’s a good call. They’re acknowledged in a lovely way, but the film keeps its focus on Joseph and the world of Pilates as it is today. I loved the use of Cats as a metaphor for the different styles of Pilates.
The film falls short in explaining the split in the industry between the Classical and Contemporary approaches to the work. Dissension in the industry is alluded to, but an explanation is not given about what the dissension is about. Without a clear telling of what divided us in the past, the hopes for more unification expressed in the film may be confusing for some viewers. But Jennifer Kries did make me laugh out loud when talking about the competitiveness of the teachers in the early years.
My favorite scenes in the movie are those where Pilates is being performed. The extended sequences of Mareile Paley, Eva Kauffman and Maya Christopherson are all beautifully shot. I couldn’t help but imagine myself being the one performing the repertoire and for me those were the most powerful moments in the film. The seaside shots of Mareile Paley are gorgeous and made me want to move to Turkey. Eva Kaufmann proves without a doubt you don’t need to be 20-something to move with incredible strength and grace. And the scenes of Maya Christopherson playing Bach on the piano intercut with her performing on another “instrument”, the Reformer, almost brought me to tears. Those unfamiliar with Pilates will almost certainly not appreciate how difficult the repertoire is since these women make it look effortless.
The people in the film spend quite a bit of time talking about how Pilates can have benefits other than, as Siri Dharma Galliano says, “a flat stomach and a tight butt”. It is clearly evident from the light in the eyes of everyone interviewed that Pilates sparks a deep passion in those devoted to it. But I do wish the movie covered more of the purely physical benefits of Pilates and what it is about Pilates as an exercise modality that distinguishes it from other forms of exercise.
Just as any one hour Pilates session requires choices of what to include and what not to, the film can’t cover the complete depth and breadth of ‘what is Pilates’ in its hour or so. But I was moved by the artistic images of the Pilates repertoire being performed and by the passionate testimony of how Pilates is more than just exercise. And I was inspired by the message of hope that just maybe Pilates can make the world a better place.
Pictured to the right, the very talented Mark Pedri.
Learn more about “A Movement of Movement” here.
And see the trailer for the film here.
Words by Tracy Maurstad