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The Athlete (2009) poster

2009 · biography · sports · marathon

The Athlete

Directed by Davey Frankel, Rasselas Lakew1h 32m2009

Running the streets of Rome in 1960, an unknown, barefooted Ethiopian man stunned the world by winning Olympic gold in the marathon. Overnight, Abebe Bikila became a sports legend. A hero in his own country and to the continent, Bikila was the first African to win a gold medal, and four years later in Tokyo would become the first person in history to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the marathon.

Our read: The Athlete (2009) reads as a sombre, measured, grounded biography · sports · marathon entry — measured in intensity, mid-stakes in scope, measured in temperature, ambivalent in outlook.

Movie DNA

Sombre, measured, measured biography / sports, grounded in texture. Ambivalent, mid-stakes, measured.

ElsewhereIMDb6.6264RT29%TMDB5.99
  • sombre
  • measured
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DNA · twelve axes

How The Athlete feels to watch.

Each axis is scored by hand, not from votes or genre averages. The bar uses the film's own colours.

MoodHeavy ↔ Cosy
PacingSlow-burn ↔ Kinetic
IntensityGentle ↔ Extreme
WeirdnessConventional ↔ Surreal
HopeNihilistic ↔ Redemptive
StakesIntimate ↔ Epic
HumourNone ↔ Broad
RealityGrounded ↔ Fantastical
DensitySparse ↔ Twisty
WarmthCold ↔ Tender
AuteurTransparent ↔ Signature
Tonight, this looks like

What watching it is actually like.

“You want an inspiring true story of an underdog African champion's glory.”

ends upliftingyou’ll feel glowing aftersteady all the waygrips by minute 15attention 3/5earns its lengthsubtitles: partial
Date nightWith friendsSoloWith parentsKids around

Skip it tonight — Skip if you dislike sports biopics or archive mixed with drama.

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