Slalom

Sport again as the background of a personal improvement that actually hides a certain despotism. Sexual abuse disguised as infatuation comes to light in this story of a young woman trying to achieve sporting success. But the theme, necessary and interesting, cannot hide a sense of what has already been seen, of a narrative construction in which the intentions are above the construction of convincing characters.

Do you want to be a coach or an Olympic medalist or simply live a normal life with your family? This is a movie of isolation, ambition, and dependence on the help of strangers. The lead actress carries the movie away and supported by a well rounded cast. The movie is told in her eyes of a 15 year old navigator through the world of adults, alone and without anyone who truly knows her. Her isolation is her greatest enemy as events unfold around her as she seeks to be a great athlete. The acting is great. The cinematography enchants the eyes. The subject matter is rough, but trusts the viewers to understand the lead through an empathetic and worried lense. This is not an easy film, but certainly rewarding for those that stick through it.

Much like the classic Enid Blyton books, perhaps it requires the parents to be conveniently absent to allow the story to play out, but I must say that I found the mother's semi-attached role to be the least convincing here. Her almost complete lack of interest at the beginning makes it too easy to lay the blame at her door, whereas the reality is rather more complex and nuanced - which I think the film (and the rest of the cast) does very well to illustrate and explore. Given the content, I guess they were never going to use a real 15-year old to play the lead, but apart from the unconvincing age I think the lead here is excellent, as are the cinematography and sports content.

Recommended.

Lyz Lopez is 15 years old. She has started studying at a boarding school. The students have some things in common. They are all promising young skiers. And yes, in addition to the usual studies, they also practice skiing. Fred, the skiing coach, is a former skiing champion. He sees huge potential in Lyz. Therefore, he gives her much more attention than the other students. But the road to becoming a professional skier turns out to be tough. How far is Lyz willing to go to succeed? Does she have what it takes?

I´m not a parent now. But I´m an aunt. I think that an adult should care about what the child needs and wants. I think that I care about that. And I also think that Lyz is searching after a father figure. Where is her biological father? And her mother´s parenting is, in my honest opinion, quite sloppy. Does she really care about her daughter´s well-being? And Fred seems to be living his own skiing dream through Lyz. Why, Fred? Why? Help me understand you.

I missed more clarity and girl power in "Slalom". I´m not sure who I would recommend this movie to. Maybe for those who love skiing?

If you read the synopsis of this movie, it is really easy to write it off as another #metoo tale, but it actually a pretty singular story and more complex than that. The coach (Jeremie Renier) is certainly abusive, but he is not a one-dimensional predator. He seems genuinely focused on being a coach and is not simply "grooming" the teenage protagonist (Noee Abita). It is perfectly acceptable for elite coaches of underage athletes to be physically and emotionally abusive--he just takes it a step farther and is sexually abusive as well. The teenager is certainly confused and traumatized by what is happening, but still remains in the orbit of this charismatic authority figure. I won't spoil the ending, but it will frustrate those expecting a morally unambiguous #metoo message. This movie actually reminded of the recent American film "Diary of a Teenage Girl" in that it refuses to impose a clear moral on the narrative, but leaves it to the viewer to draw their own.

I find most of these movies a little hypocritical since they always seem find an incredibly attractive 20-year-old to play the "teenager" and an incredibly attractive 35 year old to play the older predator, and French movies always seem to add some teenage (or rather "teenage") nudity. But both actors are excellent and quite believable as elite athletes. The sex scenes are both hot (because of the actors involved) and troubling (because of the story) at the same time, so you just have to deal with that. The skiing scenes are simply wonderful , and its a very beautiful looking movie. You can decide for yourself what the moral is.