After five years in prison, Leïla regains her freedom. She meets Yannick, a young athlete who has just lost his sight in an accident. He runs, but with a guide, to whom he is attached by a cord during training.
The Straight Line
by Régis Warnier. 2011 – France – 1h38
With: Rachida Brakni, Cyril Descours, Clémentine Célarié…
In this case, a guide: Leïla, herself a high-level athlete in her past life. A film that ventures into a little-known environment, that of disabled sports. Four years after the thriller “Have Mercy on Us All,” Régis Warnier marks his return to directing with a poignant drama. He chose to explore the meeting of two characters who have only one thing in common: their disability.
A physical disability for Yannick (Cyril Descours), a young athlete who has just lost his sight in a car accident, and a psychological one for Leïla (Rachida Brakni), a young woman and former high-level athlete who regains her freedom after five years in prison. Despite a heavy past, the young woman, having lost all emotional connections, tries to regain an appetite for life.
A film sponsored by the French Federation for Disabled Sports
The message conveyed by this film is one of hope. Without ever falling into the pathetic, the film brilliantly tackles themes of disability, second chances, and reconstruction. It is through sport and its values that this liberation takes place. A long and tortuous journey that will allow the two characters to overcome the pains of the past and the present.
From start to finish, the film relies on the quality of the actors’ performances; the two protagonists impress with bravery and accuracy, just like the supporting roles, all excellent, exemplified by the duo Clémentine Célarié – Thierry Godart.
The film rewards us with a breathtaking finale, technically flawless and on par with the greatest achievements in sports events.
by David Ribotti
