The Novice

2021

Action / Drama / Sport / Thriller

42
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 70% · 88 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 70% · 100 ratings
IMDb Rating 6.5/10 10 7792 7.8K

obsession crew thriller water sports rowing woman director

Plot summary

A college freshman 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.

Director

Lauren Hadaway Photo
Lauren Hadaway

Top cast

Isabelle Fuhrman Photo
Isabelle Fuhrman as Alex Dall
Jonathan Cherry Photo
Jonathan Cherry as Coach Pete
Amy Forsyth Photo
Amy Forsyth as Jamie Brill
Jeni Ross Photo
Jeni Ross as Winona
720p.BluRay 720p.WEB 1080p.BluRay 1080p.WEB 2160p.WEB
894.01 MB
1280*536
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 37 min
Seeds ...
889.99 MB
1280*538
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 36 min
Seeds 5
1.79 GB
1920*804
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 37 min
Seeds 3
1.79 GB
1904*800
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 36 min
Seeds 4
4.33 GB
3840*2160
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 37 min
Seeds 4

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by zoomconnect 8 / 10

Psych

So many visual cues, the cutting, the scars, and by her own admission, the main character discloses that she had been on a mental health hold via 5150. So not so much as rowing the sport, but a vehicle for acting out. It could've been another similar sport, but rowing as arduous as seen in this film Allows a mentally unstable person to put in motion her demise. Watching this character spiral metaphorically cutting those around her and watching the actress, portraying the behavior and symptoms is some thing special for us all to see so visually, pieces of ourselves teetering on the edge of self destruction. This is a must see for those seeking possibly a portrayal of contemporary mental health issues dismissed in everyday life.
Reviewed by tributarystu 8 / 10

The Endless Bounds of Ambition

Lauren Hadaway's debut feature is what you'd expect to see if you zoomed into those rowing scenes during The Social Network and applied the Black Swan treatment to them.Inspired by Hadaway's own experiences as a rower, the movie tells the story of Alex Dall, a college student who is driven close to self-destruction by her boundless ambition to gain a spot on the varsity rowing team. There's only drips of who Alex is beyond her all-consuming desire for improvement, a frame of mind that leaves little room for social niceties and personal growth.It's going to feel like your being beaten to a pulp, while traversing flurries of intense montages, frequently contrasted by sweet tunes of the 60s. Hadaway's experience in the sound department goes a long way to articulate the inner life of the movie and its lead, the latter so vicariously portrayed by Isabelle Fuhrman.There is this ultimate sense that Alex is not fighting against herself, or even against her teammates, but rather against the whole world - one where however good you are, there's bound to be many, many people who are simply better. A fight you can (almost never) win.Definitely one of the best debuts of the year.
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