Whether they are comedic like “Major League,” dramatic like “Rocky,” or emotional like “Brian’s Song,” we have had a long love affair with sports movies. Sports films often tell inspirational tales as the subject works to overcome the opposition or their own shortcomings. The story can be told from an individual perspective like in “Rudy” or “Tin Cup,” but they often show a team coming together like in “The Replacements” or “Mcfarland USA.” The feature film debut of writer-director Lauren Hadaway is not the inspirational sports movie we’ve come to expect. It has the underdog, the training montages, the bully that needs to be taken down. But there are no motivational speeches or last-second heroics in “The Novice,” her dark fantasy of dedication and obsession.
Hadaway brought her skills as a filmmaker and her experience as a collegiate rower to “The Novice,” but it is actress Isabelle Fuhrman who gives the movie to life with a powerful performance. Fuhrman is best known for playing the misleading and deadly Esther in “Orphan” when she was ten years old. A few years later, she took on the role of Clover, the cruel tribute from District 2 in the first Hunger Games movie. She has had dozens of parts in film and television since she began acting 15 years ago. “The Novice” is easily one of the best debuts this season and possibly the most underappreciated performance of the year. To learn more about “The Novice,” check out this review from Red Carpet Crash writer David Ferguson.
I was lucky enough to sit down for a conversation with Hadaway and Furhman to talk about their experiences making such a demanding film.
