The Novice - La matricola

Legs, body, arms, so many things to harm, when you're obsessive and compulsive and you're not close to being calm.

Turbulent times for an overly dedicated student who's pinned her hopes to the varsity mast, intent on going solo, to hell with the personal cost as she swims against the tide.

This is a dark thriller about the plunge into darkness caused by an incessant fortitude to be the best at all costs. Director Lauren Hadaway does a terrific job balancing the competing conflicts of the story, giving a movie that paces well and keeps viewers invested in the film. Lead actor Isabelle Fuhrman delivers an sensational performance, convincing in all the right ways. This film has several thematics very similar to Black Swan, from psychosexual to self-harm; thus would absolutely recommend The Novice to anyone who enjoyed Black Swan.

Novice takes rowing and obsession and makes it incredible. Her drive to be the best is incredibly intense and the cinematography and music are spot on. Her manic way of pursuing life draws you in.

So many visual cues, the cutting, the scars, and by her own admission, the main character discloses that she had been on a mental health hold via 5150. So not so much as rowing the sport, but a vehicle for acting out. It could've been another similar sport, but rowing as arduous as seen in this film Allows a mentally unstable person to put in motion her demise. Watching this character spiral metaphorically cutting those around her and watching the actress, portraying the behavior and symptoms is some thing special for us all to see so visually, pieces of ourselves teetering on the edge of self destruction. This is a must see for those seeking possibly a portrayal of contemporary mental health issues dismissed in everyday life.

Alex is a college freshman who joins her university's rowing team and undertakes an obsessive physical and psychological journey to make it to the top varsity boat, no matter the cost.

'The Novice' is an incredibly engrossing film, I would compare it to stories set on obsession, search for perfection, and competition, like Black Swan or Wihiplash.

Lauren Hadaway did a great job with this directorial debut creating a very tense and engrossing environment for the story to develop. Alex clearly shows signs of OCD, with actions that depict her intrusive thoughts, her obsessions which drive her to compulsion in her sport, and Hadaway captures it in a hectic and intense ways, you really feel like you are in her brain. The cinemanography is fantastic, the landscapes and the close-ups are some of my favourite elements of it capturing both the isolation and the overwhelming nature of Alex's compulsion.

Isabelle Fuhrman is great as the lead, she an actress I haven't follow as much since her debut in Orphan, but I will definitely check out what she has been up to in the last few years. Her characters is complex, you feel sorry for her, you cheer for her as you meet other characters because you empathize with the story she is telling you, even understanding the destructive nature of her behaviour... but there is a lot more to more to it than you expect from the start.

Maybe I expected a more tragic or explosive ending for the type of story, but I am glad the writer took a more realistic approach to the story.

Highly recommend this film.