Artistic Authenticity and Self-Realization in Billy Elliot : A Nietzschean Study Based on the Apollonian-Dionysian Duality

Objectives The film Billy Elliot depicts a young boy’s journey of discovering identity and achieving personal growth through ballet in a conservative mining town. This study explores artistic authenticity and self-realization in the film, grounded in Nietzsche’s Apollonian-Dionysian theory. Methods Using a qualitative research approach, this study conducted textual and discourse analyses of key scenes. The analysis focused on Billy’s emotional changes, reactions of surrounding characters, and artistic expressions of dance, interpreted through Nietzsche’s theory of art. Results First, the initial encounter with ballet awakens Dionysian instincts, revealing conflicts with Apollonian social order. Second, Billy’s passion for ballet and repeated practice reflect the will to power, transcending social oppression to create new artistic values. Third, the improvised dance during the audition embodies Nietzsche’s concept of the Übermensch in artistic form. Fourth, the adult Billy’s stage performance illustrates the eternal recurrence, visually representing the integration of Apollonian form and Dionysian impulse. Conclusions The film demonstrates the process of self-realization through art. Applying Nietzschean philosophy to dance films expands the essential meaning of art and broadens interpretive horizons.