We are officially over halfway through the Milwaukee Film Festival, which means that about half my body weight is now popcorn, Milk Duds and film ballots that I ate in desperate need of sustenance during one particularly hectic movie binge (throw some flavored salt on there, and it's not half bad!). It can be tough to keep a full head of steam all the way through the entire film festival, but here are three inspiring picks (one ... maybe less so) for Day 9.

"A Ballerina's Tale"

In Misty Copeland's own words, she should not have been a part of one of the world's greatest ballet companies due to her body type, pedigree and background. But she did, becoming the first black female principal dancer at a major international company, one of the art's brightest stars and the focus of "A Ballerina's Tale," a documentary about her sashay into the spotlight that's been inspired audiences everywhere it's gone. Side point: How bummed do you think the directors were that the title "Black Swan" was already taken?

"A Ballerina's Tale" shows today at 7 p.m. at the Fox-Bay Cinema, as well as Sunday, Oct. 4 at 4:15 p.m. at the Downer Theatre.

"T-Rex"

From floating gracefully across a stage to floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee, "T-Rex" tells the story of U.S. boxer Claressa "T-Rex" Shields, a phenom hoping to win gold at the 2012 London Olympics. Will she come away with the gold? Don't just look it up on Wikipedia now; see the movie! It may be a very different world from the ballet one in "A Ballerina's Tale," but Shields' story is just as inspiring. 

"T-Rex" screens today at 5:15 p.m. at the Oriental Theatre, as well as on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 12:45 p.m. at the Oriental Theatre and Monday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Downer Theatre. 

"The Kindergarten Teacher"

The first two movies looked at inspirations for good; "The Kindergarten Teacher," on the other hand, looks at inspiration gone mildly crazy. In this Israeli drama, a teacher becomes obsessed with one of her students after he reveals some impressive artistic chops. The result sounds like some kind of even more twisted "Whiplash" – and any time the movie "Whiplash" can be used as a reference point, that's got me in a seat. Fair warning: This was a Milwaukee Film members screening earlier this year, and according to some in attendance, the reaction was ... interesting. 

"The Kindergarten Teacher" shows today at 3:30 p.m. at the Avalon Theater, as well as on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 6:45 p.m. at the Fox-Bay Cinema.