“I giochi sono amicizie, rispetto e pace.”
[The games are synonymous with friendship, respect, and peace.]

Three elite athletes train for the Summer Games, Ludoj, 2024. Facing press attention, injury, and exhaustion, they practice their respective disciplines of rifle shooting, fencing, and judo. The women work with coaches to optimize their performance before competing under acute pressure at the Games.

In Agon, Giulio Bertelli explores the contradictions of elite sport, the magic of the Games, and the merciless reality of competition. He offers a work that blurs the lines between fiction and documentary.

Documented Fiction

Sometimes, the line between fiction and documentary is thin. The opening images of Agon leave the viewer uncertain. Are we watching a documentary or a fiction?

It is indeed a work of fiction, even if the basic idea stems from a real-life news event. Moreover, although the initial concept remains present in the final version, the story developed in another way. It is Alice’s story that takes center stage—a story of an injury occurring at a very bad time. A knee injury… at that moment, we witness a knee surgery scene filmed privately at the hospital by the director. A detail that adds a touch of truth to this film.

The training sequences look so real that one could believe they were filmed during actual practice sessions. The camera movements seem adapted to the reality of each competition: for rifle shooting, static shots without movement; for judo, a mobile camera that moves a lot. Then, the stories of each athlete take hold.

A Modern Vision of the Games

In addition to telling the story of these three women, Agon questions the future of the Olympic Games. Competition sequences are held in spaces reserved for cameras. For less popular competitions, noisy crowds and spectators are gone. We find ourselves in an intimate room where only the athletes and the judges/referees are present—plus the cameras and the people operating them.

It is an intriguing and interesting vision if we imagine that the main spectators will be those at home. This would certainly be a way to save money during the preparation and presentation of the Games. And imagine the images we could get at home.

Furthermore, the director generally films these competition scenes in wide angles. Very few close-ups. We stay at a distance and observe. This choice adds to the documentary effect and creates a sense of voyeurism for the viewer.

Interview

I had the opportunity to discuss Agon with the director. 

Trailer