Schultersieg

Four German teenage girls are getting ready for an exciting school year. The young wrestlers Janny, Lisa, Debby and Michelle have been accepted to the Elite School of Sports, a boarding school in Frankfurt that follows East German traditions in getting talented athletes to the top. The girls can expect years of exhausting, intensive training schedules, strict diets and extreme pressure to perform. In their free time they hang out together, listen to music and long for home – they aren't all built for this kind of regime. Michelle struggles with her weight, Lisa is homesick, Jenny feels insecure within the group, and Debby sets the bar very high. For years on end the film follows the girls at school, during the grueling workouts, in the intimacy of their lodgings and on the mat – the place where it's all really supposed to happen. In slow motion, hair swings about and faces show strain as they maneuver themselves and their opponents into astonishing positions. While each win provides a euphoric moment, the film is dominated by scenes of sadness, frustration and anger. Still there's also the will to always get back up and rise to the challenge. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)