The Petrichor

A powerful tale of grit and inspiration, The Petrichor is anchored by a terrific lead performance from Olga Korsak coupled with deft visual storytelling from Junga Song. The film hits all the right notes, firing on all cylinders in this tale of the underdog persevering almost insurmountable obstacles to achieve greatness. Song has made a potent film, one that does not shy away from putting the audience into the mind of its protagonist whose tragic past holds the key to her prosperous future.

Song pulls a double duty as both writer and director here and she perfectly balances the nuances of the script with its more emotional bits. Considerable praise is also due to the cinematographer Ismail Atiev whose eye for the visual matches the kinetic nature of both the sport and the story. The soundtrack adds a further layer of depth to the story as well. All in all, The Petrichor is a powerful sports drama that hits it out of the park, a tour de force from a visionary director that will echo terrifically with audiences everywhere.