Arka Mukhopadhyay
From Darren Aronofsky‘s ‘Black Swan’ to ‘Step Up,’ the spectrum of dance-dramas has been diverse, and Netflix’s ‘Into the Beat’ (Originally titled ‘Dein Herz Tanzt’) attempts to bring the best of the worlds of ballet and hip hop into one single film. Directed by German filmmaker Stefan Westerwelle, the teenage romance and dance drama revolves around the life of Katya, a traditional ballet dancer who discovers her true passion in life when she accidentally comes across a group of street dancers. While her family, a family of famed ballerinas, thinks that she should stick to her usual ballet training, she must do everything in her power to find her voice and follow her calling.
The film features impressive acting from Alexandra Pfeifer and Yalany Marschner in lead roles, and a decent soundtrack and visually pleasing choreographed performances keep things interesting. While the film ends on a positive and seemingly conclusive note, there remain some aspects to be further elucidated. If the final moments of ‘Into the Beat’ have plagued you, let us take the responsibility to make the ending apparent for you. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Into the Beat Plot Synopsis
In the beginning moments, we meet Katya in one of her ballet training sessions. She prepares for a solo performance of Sleeping Beauty. Her instructor, Miss Rosebloom, is a seemingly staunch woman who pushes all of her students to practice more. We get to know that an audition to the prestigious New York Ballet Academy is coming nearer, and the instructor wants every student to give it their very best while reminding them that only one student will get the scholarship.
However, hailing from the Orlow family, Katya seems to be a dedicated student. Both of her parents are acclaimed dancers, and Katya has been brought up under their overbearing influences. Presently, Katya’s father Victor (Trystan Pütter) prepares for an upcoming show, but an accident on the stage leaves Victor with broken limbs. While saddened by the uncertainty of his own dance career, Victor banks on Katya.
While out cycling on the night after her father’s accident, Katya manages to break the cycle and laments on the side of the road until being approached by a kind woman named Feli. Feli asks Katya to come with her, promising to get the bike repaired. A group of seemingly misruling and frolicking teenagers approaches them, and all of them go to the underground dance club called Battle-Land. A previously unknown world of hip hop opens before Katya.
The energy of the whole scene is skyrocketing, and Katya is euphoric. She goes to her usual training the next day, and her teacher observes that there is a spark in her performance that was previously absent. She goes back to the Battle-Land to take her bike and gets to know that Feli is an instructor there. Feli asks her to join the group of students for a session, and after a bumpy start, Katya gets her mojo back, delivering a noticeably impressive performance.
She is given the title of “Stargirl” by other street dancers. She also meets a shy but charming young man named Marlon, known in the dance troop as the “Alien.” With a little help from Marlon and thanks to her inherent talent in dancing, Katya picks up the moves with little effort and much grace. In the process, she expends more time and energy in freestyle dancing and misses her sessions with Miss Rosebloom. Katya and Marlon develop a romantic interest in each other, and the teenage romance blooms in unlikely places – a restaurant and a ship – only to erupt in a vigorous and passionate performance back in the Battle-Land.
The legendary dance crew Tigers, led by Marlon’s idol Ali Fazer, is taking an audition for their troop, and Marlon proposes an idea to Katya: to audition together as a pair. Katya is willing to go but is conflicted due to familial pressure, and when Feli says that the audition form will require parental consent, the chances of Katya achieving her dream seem to be thin. Will her father be considerate enough not to put the burden of his own expectations on his daughter and let her follow her dreams? The ending reveals itself to be happily conclusive.
Into the Beat Ending: Do Victor and Katya Overcome Their Differences?
Towards the end, when the duo of Alien and Stargirl are putting their heart and soul into preparing for the Tigers audition, it is disclosed by Feli that a parental signature is needed to validate the audition form. Katya goes to forge the signature on her own, but a hopelessly virtuous girl, she cannot make herself do it. She calls off the audition, and Marlon seems to be super upset. Katya’s father, himself a famed ballet dancer, seems to think of break dancing as a lowly art, and tries to dissuade Katya from going to the audition.
Katya has given 15 years of her little life into ballet dancing, but when she comes across the group of street dancers, an alluring world bares itself to her. As she seems to have found her calling in hip-hop dance, not even her father can stop her from achieving her goals. Victor concedes before his daughter’s indomitable spirit and signs the form. He later visits the audition and is seemingly impressed by the duo’s performance. It seems that father and daughter reconcile in the end.
Do Marlon and Katya Get Through the Audition?
After many hurdles, Marlon/Alien and Katya/Stargirl go to the audition. After having the document signed, Katya rushes to Marlon’s shared apartment, and then to Battle-Land, frantically looking for Marlon. In the end, she finds Marlon on the same rooftop where Marlon took her on their first acquaintance. They go to the audition, they look at each other, and they conquer. The performance is energetic, vivacious, and impressionable, and Ali Fazer at the judge’s seat is left in tears.
After exiting the stage, they get a fanfare from other performers, and ostensibly euphoric, they kiss each other in a moment of bliss. Katya and Marlon come out to meet Victor, who congratulates the pair on their performance. And shortly after, the good news is broken by the other performers – that they have found themselves a place in the Tigers. They get through the audition and look forward to touring the world with the street dancing legends. The story may as well conclude here, but we hope their journey will be explored in a future installation.
Read More: Where Was Into The Beat Filmed?
