The Novice

Channeling a bit of Whiplash in its tale of obsession & compulsion, The Novice is raw, intense & gripping when it gets the combination right and is propelled by a thoroughly committed act from its leading lady. It is competently crafted & expertly shot yet what prevents the film from soaring to better heights is its lack of restraint, for it overdoes style to a point that it becomes overbearing.

Written & directed by Lauren Hadaway in her directorial debut, the film's damp & darkly lit set pieces provide a grittiness & perspiring feel to the story and the drizzly atmosphere & piercing score only amp it up further. Through her protagonist, Hadaway deftly captures the danger of ambition turning into obsession but being a novice at feature filmmaking herself, she does get carried away a few times.

What at first seemed like a motivational story of drive, determination & endurance paving way for success soon turns into a physical & psychological nightmare as our lead character goes to extreme lengths in pursuit of her goals. And Isabelle Fuhrman's strenuous & stressful input renders her inner anguish & unhealthy fixation with startling fidelity. It sure is disturbing & worrisome to watch but it's also the film's highlight.

Overall, The Novice makes for a riveting, thrilling & cold-hearted portrait of a young woman's all-consuming journey to the top and despite a few shortcomings of its own makings, it starts the debutant director's filmmaking career on a promising note. Fuhrman really gets under the skin of her neurotic character to deliver an impressive performance that steers this story past the finish line. And she single-handedly makes it worth the price of admission.

This is a dark thriller about the plunge into darkness caused by an incessant fortitude to be the best at all costs. Director Lauren Hadaway does a terrific job balancing the competing conflicts of the story, giving a movie that paces well and keeps viewers invested in the film. Lead actor Isabelle Fuhrman delivers an sensational performance, convincing in all the right ways. This film has several thematics very similar to Black Swan, from psychosexual to self-harm; thus would absolutely recommend The Novice to anyone who enjoyed Black Swan.

This film authentically illustrates the struggles that rowers experience and that obsession and perfection, can sink the the boat before you cross the finish line. Isabelle's performance is elevated by her dedication and believability as the novice.

Alex is a college freshman who joins her university's rowing team and undertakes an obsessive physical and psychological journey to make it to the top varsity boat, no matter the cost.

'The Novice' is an incredibly engrossing film, I would compare it to stories set on obsession, search for perfection, and competition, like Black Swan or Wihiplash.

Lauren Hadaway did a great job with this directorial debut creating a very tense and engrossing environment for the story to develop. Alex clearly shows signs of OCD, with actions that depict her intrusive thoughts, her obsessions which drive her to compulsion in her sport, and Hadaway captures it in a hectic and intense ways, you really feel like you are in her brain. The cinemanography is fantastic, the landscapes and the close-ups are some of my favourite elements of it capturing both the isolation and the overwhelming nature of Alex's compulsion.

Isabelle Fuhrman is great as the lead, she an actress I haven't follow as much since her debut in Orphan, but I will definitely check out what she has been up to in the last few years. Her characters is complex, you feel sorry for her, you cheer for her as you meet other characters because you empathize with the story she is telling you, even understanding the destructive nature of her behaviour... but there is a lot more to more to it than you expect from the start.

Maybe I expected a more tragic or explosive ending for the type of story, but I am glad the writer took a more realistic approach to the story.

Highly recommend this film.

Novice takes rowing and obsession and makes it incredible. Her drive to be the best is incredibly intense and the cinematography and music are spot on. Her manic way of pursuing life draws you in.