Personal Best
Personal Best
Filmed over four years, Personal Best follows up-and-coming British sprinters on their journey from the grassroots of athletics to the international stage. The film is both a gripping portrait of the athletes in training and competition, and a deeply personal account of their lives unfolding – revealing victory, defeat, agony, ecstasy and the simple trials of growing up.
2.8 out of 5 based on 6 reviews
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Omniscore:
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| Certificate |
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| Genre |
Documentary, Sport |
| Director |
Sam Blair |
| Cast |
Richard Alleyne, Jeanette Kwakye, Omardo Anson James Ellington |
| Studio |
Verve Pictures |
| Release Date |
May 2012 |
| Running Time |
75 mins |
| |
Filmed over four years, Personal Best follows up-and-coming British sprinters on their journey from the grassroots of athletics to the international stage. The film is both a gripping portrait of the athletes in training and competition, and a deeply personal account of their lives unfolding – revealing victory, defeat, agony, ecstasy and the simple trials of growing up.
Reviews
The Times
Kevin Maher
“Manages that rare feat of being socially conscientious yet also artistic, and unafraid to posit huge questions about destiny and the capacity for human change. ”
25/05/2012
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Time Out
Cath Clarke
“Blair’s quietly watchful camera captures some telling moments over four years’ filming. Sprinter James Ellington’s mum (Ellington is the runner who put himself on eBay last year to raise funds), admits that she used to wish he wasn’t quite so talented: ‘There’s so much to lose.’ Few make it. After one race, which Ellington wins, we get a glimpse in the faces of his team mates of how another athlete’s success might gnaw away at you.”
23/05/2012
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The Evening Standard
The Evening Standard
“Fuelled by deprivation, terrified of injuries, permanently on the hunt for sponsors ... are an upbeat lot, yet the more we learn about their lives the more they sound like imperilled characters from The Hunger Games.”
25/05/2012
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The Financial Times
Antonia Quirke
“Points out that the final selection is still yet to take place at the UK trials in late June, and so the film feels rather thrillingly like a work in progress: some of the people featured here will not make it in the end and, like mayflies, will have already had their moment come July. ”
24/05/2012
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The Guardian
Steve Rose
“If British sport is looking to encourage young athletes, it should probably ban this documentary.”
24/05/2012
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The Independent
Anthony Quinn
“The film-makers get a little carried away with the use of super-slo-mo and the looming close-ups beloved of sportswear ads – I would have preferred tougher questioning over all the heroic muscle power on offer. For those counting down the days to August, though, this is a useful taster.”
25/05/2012
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