Sometimes dreams are foolish. Such is the case with Billy Elliot, the son of an English coal miner who wants him to take up boxing. When Billy accidentally stumbles into a ballet class, he’s hooked and dreams of becoming a dancer. His father and brother, unsurprisingly, want him to have nothing to do with it, afraid that he’ll become a “poof.” But Billy, despite the incredible pressure against him from his family, continues to dance anyways.

The world will often tell you not to pursue your dreams. “Be safe. Be complacent. Don’t make waves,” it says. “Get good grades. Go to college. Get a steady job.” But that way lies the death of one’s soul. Billy understands this in the film and, despite the world being against him, he goes after his impossible dream. It is an act of bravery and it is something all of us should do more often. 

~ Evan Derrick