I Don’t Wanna Dance

After living with their aunt for two years, 15-year-old Joey (the memorable Yfendo van Praag, previously the subject of a documentary short by director Flynn von Kleist) and his younger brother are delighted to be reunited with their mother, Daphne (Romana Vrede). At first, everything goes well: the house is cleaned up, the fridge is stocked, Daphne has a job, and Joey finds his niche with a dance group. It promises to be a beautiful summer. But family happiness soon comes under pressure when Daphne reverts to her old patterns. Joey does everything he can to keep the child protective services agents from discovering the dysfunction at the heart of his family, but how long can he keep doing this destructive dance with his mother at the expense of his own happiness? Director Flynn von Kleist’s drama is based on a real life: that of lead actor van Praag, who reconstitutes his childhood troubles with verve and heartfelt emotion.