Juliette Binoche debuts ‘In-I In Motion’ — a dance documentary urged by Robert Redford exploring risk, transformation and creative unity.
Juliette Binoche’s directorial debut, In-I In Motion, premiered at the 73rd San Sebastian Film Festival and chronicles the creation and aftermath of the 2008 dance-theater piece In-I, a collaboration between Binoche and British choreographer Akram Khan.
The idea to film the piece originated with the late Robert Redford, who visited Binoche backstage in New York and passionately urged her to adapt the stage work for the screen. His encouragement stayed with her and ultimately became the driving impulse for this documentary.
In-I In Motion examines the unexpected partnership between an actor and a dancer. Binoche, primarily an actor celebrated for her screen and stage work, paired with Khan, whose practice draws on contemporary and classical dance forms.
The film uses unseen archival footage and candid backstage moments to show how two artists from different sexes, cultural histories, skin tones and religious backgrounds took creative risks to develop a shared artistic vocabulary.
Binoche stresses that while dance and acting are distinct disciplines, they can enrich one another and foster powerful collaborations.
A large portion of the film focuses on the physical demands of performing In-I. The company toured the piece for 100 shows, which required daily conditioning with dancer Su-Man Hsu and work with acting coach Susan Batson.
Binoche recounts pushing her body into unfamiliar territory, suffering injuries such as broken toes and persistent knee pain, and relying on acupuncture and the Chinese practice of Qi Gong to recover and sustain stamina.
The documentary conveys the raw intensity of those performances, the backstage trembling before each show and the profound sense of aliveness that followed the most taxing nights onstage.
Beyond technique and bodily strain, In-I In Motion prompts reflection on art’s social purpose. At the San Sebastian press conference, Binoche was asked about signing an open letter that called for a boycott of the Israeli film industry in response to civilian casualties in Gaza.
She explained that artists often feel compelled to speak out because they believe art can open channels of communication where political institutions have failed. She argued that creative collaboration can produce common ground even amid deep division.
Ultimately, In-I In Motion functions as both an intimate chronicle of a grueling, cross-disciplinary experiment and a meditation on risk, transformation and solidarity.
Sparked by Robert Redford’s ardent suggestion and realized through Binoche’s willingness to return to and reveal the work’s hidden processes, the film is a testament to the costs and rewards of artistic exchange and to the hope that performance can bridge profound differences.