To dance is to briefly break the law of gravity, so prepare for some dance so good it is criminal in the spellbinding experimental feature Once Again (For The Very First Time), written and directed by Boaz Yakin. High up in the clouds, superstar street dancer DeRay (Jeroboam Bozeman) is falling down in the sky toward the earth with a bloodstain on his shirt over his heart. When he hits the pavement, he finds himself in a hallway, and he starts dancing down. Soon, he finds himself arguing with a doppelgänger in the hall, who references something terrible that happened when DeRay was little (Dupree Francois Porter).
“DeRay…has to reestablish himself as the top dancer again, battling the likes of Billy Lo in concrete dance-offs.”
We also meet slam poet Naima (Mecca Verdell), who feels no one can really see her. She is getting over the trauma that was inflicted upon her when she was little (Emma Faith Bullard). As DeRay is back on the streets after a long absence, he has to reestablish himself as the top dancer again, battling the likes of Billy Lo (Klassic Carella) in concrete dance-offs. Naima is tearing up the streets with her spoken word as well. DeRay, in the meantime, seeks to take back the temple he built for the dance battles. Naima meets DeRay, and she starts feeling like he may see her. But both have pools of memorized blood welling up from what they have not dealt with in the days behind them.
Usually, experimental films are not for everybody, as some have revolutionary results while others not so much. I am glad to report that Yakin’s complex experiment here is a success. Once Again (For The Very First Time) weaves spoken word and modern dance into an unconventional character exploration that reaches high. It is similar to the haunting experimental modern dance work The Severing, except here there is a narrative that is handled in a nonlinear pattern. Yakin creates a complex inside-out way to explore the tumultuous connection between the two main characters through their inner lives being made visible.
"…full of the kind of unexpected splendor that makes makes the screen spark"
