Slalom

Skiing is 15-year-old Lyz’s passion. Selected for an elite programme designed to produce future top athletes, her everyday life in the heart of the French Alps is marked by gruelling fitness sessions and breathtaking slalom runs under the guidance of her trainer Fred. The ambitious teenager is under tremendous pressure, which she has to deal with almost entirely without family support. When Fred takes advantage of their physical closeness during training and starts to cross several boundaries, Lyz is faced with increasingly difficult decisions. Director Charlène Favier uses brilliant camera work to stage a highly topical story about the crossing of boundaries in the field of world-class sports. With the focus invariably on her protagonist, she takes a deep look into the psyche of a young athlete who unexpectedly finds herself faced with the fact that even the biggest dream is not worth any price. The story of an emancipation. (Zurich Film Festival)