Slalom

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?

Stunningly cold cinematography coupled with the isolated setting really exemplifies themes of helplessness, isolation and control. It may be disturbingly intimate at times but this helps the film explore the subject matter like no-one has done before. You really have to work hard but the pay off is waiting for you. But not if you're American

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.

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.

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.