Athlete (2021)

The short film “Athlete” was made by first-year films students of Baltic Film, Media and Arts School. The film shows how one man’s obsession can lead to harm for others. At the same time, the film also shows a father’s unwavering belief that his son is capable of more than it seems.

One night, an authoritarian father (Toomas Lumi) takes his weakling son (Helari Saaremäe) to a basketball hall with the intention of making an athlete out of the latter. Ignoring the crumpy janitor (Merike Värik), the father gives his son a seemingly easy task: to shoot a single basket. Unfortunately, the task is anything but easy for the boy. Each subsequent throw is worse than the last and his father`s frustration keeps growing. At last, the boy seems to find some strength and confidence and begins rushing towards the backboard. Tragically for both the father and the son, they both failed to notice the janitor, who has just mopped the floor underneath said backboard. This results in the son slipping on the wet floor, missing the throw and breaking his leg.
However, his son`s pain is just another in a series of small setbacks for the father and his big plans, and as soon as his son gets out of hospital he has already prepared another sport for the traumatized boy.

Keywords: physical fitness | father-son relationship | obsession | basketball | sports | trauma | View all »