Step (film)

Step (sometimes stylized STEP) is a 2017 American documentary film directed by Amanda Lipitz, focusing on a girls' Baltimore high school dance team. It won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Inspirational Filmmaking at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best Feature at the 2017 AFI Docs Festival.[2] It was released in theaters on August 4, 2017.

Step
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAmanda Lipitz
Produced by
Starring
  • Blessin Giraldo
  • Cori Grainger
  • Tayla Solomon
  • Gari McIntyre
  • Paula Dofat
Music by
CinematographyCasey Regan
Edited byPenelope Falk
Production
company
Stick Figure Productions
Distributed byFox Searchlight Pictures
Release date
  • January 21, 2017 (2017-01-21) (Sundance)
  • August 4, 2017 (2017-08-04) (United States)
Running time
83 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.2 million[1]

Story

Step is the true-life story of a girls’ high-school step team set against the background of the heart of Baltimore. These young women learn to laugh, love and thrive – on and off the stage – even when the world seems to work against them. Empowered by their teachers, teammates, counselors, coaches and families, they chase their ultimate dreams: to win a step championship and to be accepted into college. This all female school is reshaping the futures of its students’ lives by making it their goal to have every member of their senior class accepted to and graduate from college, many of whom will be the first in their family to do so.[3]

Cast
  • Blessin Giraldo
  • Cori Grainger
  • Tayla Solomon
  • Gari McIntyre
  • Paula Dofat

Release

The film premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was released in the United States on August 4, 2017.[2] The film made $145,000 from 29 theaters in its opening weekend, and then $185,000 from 278 theaters in its second.[4]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 95% based on 79 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Step tells an irresistibly crowd-pleasing story in a thoroughly absorbing way -- and while smartly incorporating a variety of timely themes."[5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[6] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[4]

Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post remarks that the film "...fires on every cylinder, investing viewers in personal stories that couldn’t have higher stakes and inviting them on a journey that pays off in ways expected and utterly surprising." [7]

Jackson Murphy of lightscamerajackson.com summed up the film proclaiming that "Step is tightly shot and edited, with appropriately inspirational music. Every scene is compelling, invigorating and inspiring, taking us on a breathless journey.[8]

References
  1. "Step (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  2. "'Step,' 'Fish Story' Win Audience Awards at AFI Docs Festival". Variety.
  3. "FOX Searchlight STEP Movie". foxsearchlight.com.
  4. Brooks, Brian (August 13, 2017). "'Ingrid Goes West' Makes Robust Start; 'Good Time' Strong – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  5. "Step (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  6. "Step reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  7. Hornaday, Ann (August 3, 2017). "'Step': This inspiring, exuberant doc is the feel-good sleeper of the summer". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  8. http://lights-camera-jackson.com/step-review/
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