When we first meet Catherine (Stefanie Woodburn) she's a financial analyst who looks laser focused on her career and nothing more, in other words a little bit of a workaholic. By the look of her, it may seem like she's cultivating a successful career, however you get the feeling that her ambition lacks some fuel. Like she's in black and white and the rest of the world is Technicolor. Catherine receives a call from her friend Liz (Heather West) who contacts her asking for help, Liz's dancing partner has suffered an injury and she wants Catherine to take her place at an upcoming competition. The catch is that it's a pole-dance competition. Catherine is understandably worried on how this could affect her perception at the office, she is surrounded by male co-workers at a male-dominated working space and pole dancing still carries stigmas associated with strip-clubs when it has become in recent years into something far more interesting than that. Liz manages to convince her friend to simply not care too much about that and just have fun, something that Catherine knows she's lost. Now, Pole-dancing IS fun, but it's also tough. While Catherine isn't exactly out of shape her skill-set and physicality are a bit rusty due to hours sitting in front of a computer, in order to dominate the moves required for the competition, Catherine will have to push herself and strengthen her body. However, she's still being held-back by what could happen if someone at the office finds a video of her on YouTube. With the help of Liz, Catherine will realize that strength she requires to dominate that pole comes from her own confidence.
Director Natasha Kermani tells a story where the main challenge come from within rather than from outside elements. There is no rival to go up-against at the Pole competition, no challenge but that one that resides within Catherine. In somebody else hands, Pole would have integrated some unnecessary rivalry with another dancer, someone more skilled that may have challenged Cat to push herself, but what's truly special here, again is that the one to beat is Catherine's insecurities. This turns POLE into a small but effective character piece and an examination in challenging ourselves and societal norms. Pole-Dancing is usually associated with strippers and grittier material, but in recent years it has moved its status into a discipline on its own due to the amount of skill and strength required to pull it off. Through Kermani's lens we are exposed to a story that employs this nascent artistic sport the way The Karate Kid would use Karate, as a way to impulse character growth within its main character (sans Cobra Kai Dojo). Catherine as played by Stefanie Woodburn is presented to us in a very economical way, due to run-time constraints the narrative has to be effective, so everything that we know about her is effectively delivered without exposition but through performance choices. She undergoes a character transformation that has to emanate from her. Her facial expressions and her wardrobe reflect her character growth but it wouldn't work if Woodburn wasn't capable to dim her light and then shine at will. It's more than just wearing conservative clothes and minimum make-up, she convinces us as someone who is holding back, her face at the beginning is like a clenching fist and later on she's relaxed, secure. Which brings us to the Pole-Dancing itself, both Woodburn and West are effortless athletes, surely having practicing for years. It's more about convincing us that Woodburn can't actually perform at the beginning in order to see the gradual change in her skills. Liz as played by West is calm and Zen, she finds the right equilibrium between friend and mentor. No doubt she pushes her friend to be the best she can be (as best friends do) but she's never demanding of Catherine in unfair ways, she knows how to nurture her skills while also lending advice that will help her in other areas of her life as well. Back to Director Kermani, she never shoots the pole-dancing sequences in a vulgar nor titillating way. It's inherently sexy, but not because of the performer's bodies, it's shot to express confidence, strength and skill and to be in awe of the effort it requires.
Director Natasha Kermani tells a story where the main challenge come from within rather than from outside elements. There is no rival to go up-against at the Pole competition, no challenge but that one that resides within Catherine. In somebody else hands, Pole would have integrated some unnecessary rivalry with another dancer, someone more skilled that may have challenged Cat to push herself, but what's truly special here, again is that the one to beat is Catherine's insecurities. This turns POLE into a small but effective character piece and an examination in challenging ourselves and societal norms. Pole-Dancing is usually associated with strippers and grittier material, but in recent years it has moved its status into a discipline on its own due to the amount of skill and strength required to pull it off. Through Kermani's lens we are exposed to a story that employs this nascent artistic sport the way The Karate Kid would use Karate, as a way to impulse character growth within its main character (sans Cobra Kai Dojo). Catherine as played by Stefanie Woodburn is presented to us in a very economical way, due to run-time constraints the narrative has to be effective, so everything that we know about her is effectively delivered without exposition but through performance choices. She undergoes a character transformation that has to emanate from her. Her facial expressions and her wardrobe reflect her character growth but it wouldn't work if Woodburn wasn't capable to dim her light and then shine at will. It's more than just wearing conservative clothes and minimum make-up, she convinces us as someone who is holding back, her face at the beginning is like a clenching fist and later on she's relaxed, secure. Which brings us to the Pole-Dancing itself, both Woodburn and West are effortless athletes, surely having practicing for years. It's more about convincing us that Woodburn can't actually perform at the beginning in order to see the gradual change in her skills. Liz as played by West is calm and Zen, she finds the right equilibrium between friend and mentor. No doubt she pushes her friend to be the best she can be (as best friends do) but she's never demanding of Catherine in unfair ways, she knows how to nurture her skills while also lending advice that will help her in other areas of her life as well. Back to Director Kermani, she never shoots the pole-dancing sequences in a vulgar nor titillating way. It's inherently sexy, but not because of the performer's bodies, it's shot to express confidence, strength and skill and to be in awe of the effort it requires.