Ballerina (2025) and why the Russian Ballerina Assassin Trope NEEDS TO GO

The mysterious, deadly Russian ballerina has become a familiar figure in Western action films — elegant, disciplined, and inevitably violent. But where does this trope come from, and why is it still so prominent in 2025? In this video, I take a close look at Ballerina (2025), the latest film in the John Wick universe, starring Ana de Armas — and unpack the cultural baggage behind the "Russian ballerina assassin" archetype. From the mythologizing of Russian culture to the aestheticization of pain and violence, I explore why this trope persists and why it might be time to move on. Spoiler alert: the film looks amazing and has strong moments — but underneath the surface, it’s recycling some troubling ideas. 00:00 the russain ballerina-turned assassin mystique 02:30 how the western world got enchanted with ballerina 06:39 make russian ballerina's suffering beautiful 09:38 make KGB se*y 11:09 ballet as symbol of imperialism 13:04 russia as a dark fairytale 16:52 Ballerina (2025) review 23:17 why russain-ballerina-assassin needs to go