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Personal Best (12A)

Personal Best (12A)

Documentary, Sport

Filmed over four years, a portrait of up-and-coming British sprinters in training and competition on the eve of the 2012 Olympics, and a deeply personal account of their lives as they strive towards their dreams.

More information on this production is available at www.vivaverve.com.

The critical consensus

If this were a 100 metre sprint, it'd go off with a bang, start ambling by the 50 metre mark, before finishing in near the back of the pack.

**(*)(*)(*)Stevie Martin, Little White Lies, 24/05/2012

Until the Olympics happen, the final chapters to these athletes' stories is missing. So we get the pain, but little of the gain.

**(*)(*)(*)Steve Rose, The Guardian, 24/05/2012

If you are looking for a little motivational viewing in advance of the Olympics then Personal Best is just what your trainer might order.

****(*)Allan Hunter, Daily Express, 25/05/2012

The film-makers get a little carried away with the use of super-slo-mo and the looming close-ups beloved of sportswear ads – I would have preferred tougher questioning over all the heroic muscle power on offer. For those counting down the days to August, though, this is a useful taster.

**(*)(*)(*)Anthony Quinn, The Independent, 25/05/2012

Sam Blair is more interested in exploring the psychological make-up required to develop the kind of belief necessary to transform talent into championship wins.

***(*)(*)Alistair Harkness, The Scotsman, 19/07/2012

The lack of flash occasionally makes for a dull film, but the piece is ultimately more involving for being so measured.

***(*)(*)Alison Rowat, The Herald, 19/07/2012

Where and when?

Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow from Sunday July 22, 2012. More info: http://www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre/

Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Friday July 20, 2012, until Monday July 23, 2012. More info: www.filmhousecinema.com

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