IDFA 2012
9.79*
Daniel Gordon
England
2012
80 min
European Premiere
At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Ben Johnson broke the world record for the 100-meter dash. But by the time he'd arrived at the airport back home in Canada, he'd already lost his gold medal for doping. In this documentary, the eight athletes who ran that final (it was Carl Lewis who took gold in the end) and the winners' coaches talk about the affair. They appear to be speaking candidly, but even some of the ones caught using performance-enhancing drugs - and who have already admitted their guilt - are still making accusations and offering theories that support their actions. This much is clear: anabolic steroids were used often, and had been for a long time. Relatively few athletes tested positive, however, mainly because tests weren't performed outside of competition time. The film opens with the infamous final. Johnson, a Jamaican immigrant raised by a single mother, crushes the competition. Some athletes - Brazilian Robson Da Silva comes across as particularly convincing in this regard - claim to be content just to have gotten a place in the race. Plenty of ego, greed and frustration rise to the surface in the conversations: how come won, when I'm so much better? It's striking how much the eight versions of events differ from each other. Did anyone truly deserve to win?
Credits
Screening copy
VeryMuchSo Productions
VeryMuchSo Productions
World Sales
VeryMuchSo Productions
VeryMuchSo Productions
Director
Production
Executive producer
Co-production
Terra Vermelha Filmes
Terra Vermelha Filmes
Narrator
Involved TV Channel
SBS,
VPRO,
ESPN,
BBC
SBS,
VPRO,
ESPN,
BBC