Written and directed by Jhoe Davis, Dancer is a very affecting and romantic story set in a near-future New York City. It has some sci-fi touches - the polar ice caps have melted, and the redistribution of weight is causing earthquakes to occur regularly - but Davis wisely keeps those elements in the background. Instead, he concentrates on his two main characters and the feelings that blossom between them in a perilous situation.

The film is divided into four clear sections: a long opening shot, introducing the characters as childhood friends; a dance sequence; an earthquake and its aftermath. The opening is especially effective - the shot goes on for more than 90 seconds but doesn't drag at all. Of the two performances, I prefer Monica Ordonez over Javier Marquez. Of course, her short red shorts don't hurt, but some of Marquez's line readings are kind of flat. Luckily, Davis has a good ear for dialogue. The explanation of why the earthquakes are happening is a very economical piece of writing.

The earthquake itself is convincing, but that's not my favorite part of this movie. No, that would be the ending. The ending of Dancer is genuinely s*xy. There's a long, ecstatically drawn-out moment where the characters' mouths are inches apart and Marquez is looking everywhere except at the girl. That's great filmmaking. So great, in fact, that I think I can forgive Davis for naming his characters "Nature" and "Mankind."