A competitive spirit is one that I’ve held onto throughout my life. Whether it’s athletics, debating, or within my professional career, I’ve always strived to be the best I can be. The idea has never meant to be better than others but to be the best I can be, and it continues to drive my ambitions to this very day.
So when it comes to films and competitive obsession, I am always intrigued by this concept, and writer-director Lauren Hadaway’s debut film, The Novice, rewards the examination of competitive obssesion with a film that looks at when obsession goes too far in a thrilling character study that mirrors Whiplash‘s Andrew Neiman and Black Swan‘s Nina Sayers.
The Novice follows Alex Dall, a presidential scholar who doesn’t quite know her limits like the characters mentioned above. Dall attempts to set up the “ideal collegiate experience” by joining the university’s rowing team as a way to prove her worth to not just others but herself. As a freshman novice, Alex looks to attain the coveted spots on the varsity squad, which leads to commitment and self-obsession that essentially alienate her fellow teammates, along with other individuals in her life.
Hadaway’s themes focus on when self-obsession and competitive spirit go too far, but she also touches on the pressures of the collegiate athlete experience. NCAA athletes of all divisions may have the talent, but having the obsessive mentality to be the best leads to continuing to push forward, even if it includes hiding injuries for the sake of staying on an active roster. Hadaway demonstrates that best with Alex’s infected wounds that ultimately spread. With these themes, The Novice begs the question, how far is too far?
The effectiveness of the film’s themes is credited to Isabelle Fuhrman’s haunting performance. Fuhrman is best known for 2009’s The Orphan, which turns into a performance that can be described as incredibly tense and explodes off the screen with ferocity. In a similar fashion to The Social Network‘s Mark Zuckerberg, Alex wants to rise to the top and does not care who she has to hurt in the process to succeed. Fuhrman evokes that self-obsession in a threatening manner. While the film has a solid supporting cast, the weight of the film is on Furhman’s shoulder, and the end product is the best performance I’ve seen throughout the festival thus far.
What aids Fuhrman in her role is the chilling score by Alex Weston that follows her. While the film can be labeled as a thriller, the quintessential psychological horror film and Weston’s score adds to that feeling of discomfort cinephiles may experience while watching Alex’s choices throughout the 90 minutes run time.
I mentioned the Social Network when discussing Fuhrman’s turn as Alex. Well, Todd Martin’s stunning cinematography executes a similar style to the rowing and campus scenes in The Novice. Martin’s excellent work is also seen as he pulls the curtain back on Alex to show how physically and emotionally wounded she is.
What else can be said about the Novice? It’s easily one of the finest films of the festival and points to important questions regarding athletics, competitive spirit, self-obsession, and when is it enough.
