The Novice
classified 15
Film
Please note: This was screened in April 2022
A college freshman's love affair with rowing quickly turns toxic when her obsession to climb the ranks in her team pushes her to the very edge.
Alex (Isabelle Fuhrman) is a queer college freshman who joins her University's rowing team as a way to blow off steam - but it soon spirals into a dangerous, all-consuming fixation. Intent on outperforming her teammates to make it into the top varsity boat, she pushes her mind and body to the edge, leaving her friends and girlfriend to fade into the background.
A visceral window into a cutthroat world, this is an unflinching psychological thriller (in the vein of Whiplash and Black Swan) that examines the ultimate cost of achievement and excellence.