Balestra

This is a sports movie with a fresh sci-fi twist. We've seen the setup many times before: an ambitious athlete, pushed by a coach who wants the gold even more than the athlete does, leaving the athlete questioning if the sacrifices necessary to be an Olympic gold-medal winner are worth it. But the sci-fi element that gives the athlete the edge she's been looking for pushes the whole thing in fresh directions, with the story taking turns I never saw coming. I was rooting for the protagonist from the beginning, and right through the final scene. Direction, performances, cinematography, score and the script are all excellent.

There's just one problem with this movie, in my opinion: it's too long. And not just a little too long. There is no need for this film to be 2½ hours. The story could have been told in two hours, and it would have been even more suspenseful than it is.

That aside, it's well worth seeing.