Slalom - Até o Limite

This film can easily be considered as a sport movie, but with many other elements involved in it, not only training and performances. This is mostly the relationship between a coach and his teen athlete whom he is in charge of. Good character study, very smart, intelligent and accurate. Acting and directing flawless, especially Jeremy Renier, excellent in this role. There were not so many movies in the French film industry speaking of skiing. In the USA you had DOWNHILL RACER, the most famous, but in France, I don't see another feature. That doesn't mean there is not any...Simple scheme, already told before, but here brilliantly done, I repeat. Could also have been made as a short movie; but it is of course better as a long length. And as a first picture, it is very promising. A female director to follow.

It seems to me that the approach on the subject was an excellent decision, the way the story shows you moments that could make us think in one way and then others that destabilize the ideas already formed. What I enjoyed the most was the direction! As at many times it was fierce, elegant, bold and captivating.

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.

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?

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.