The Novice

By: MJ Asuncion

Is knowing you are the best at something enough or do you have to also prove it to everyone else? What defines success and failure? These questions are easily relatable with competitive sports. Being an athlete requires hard work and dedication, along with countless hours of practice and perseverance.  It is both physically and mentally challenging and not everyone will be able to endure what it takes to succeed.

The Novice introduces us to the world of collegiate rowing and gives us an inside look at the sport from Alex Dall’s (Isabelle Fuhrman) perspective. Alex is a queer college freshman who is highly driven with relentless determination, and she has decided to join the university’s crew team. The opening sequence is very telling of Alex’s character and the type of competitor she is. Alex is taking an exam and, though it seems as if she has finished well in advance of most of the class, she is the last to hand it in. Why would she need so much extra time? It is because Alex retakes all her tests multiple times in order to fully absorb the material and assure herself that she’s done the work.

Alex applies this same methodology to rowing. She takes notes on everything she hears and learns and repeats them over and over in her mind. The words are on constant repeat, often driving out all other thoughts and sound and becoming her sole focus. They drive her to push harder, to be better and to do more, even at the sacrifice of her own body. As a first-year member, Alex is put into the novice rowing group, but not long after she already has her sights on the varsity group. This is where the story really intensifies. How far will Alex go in order to achieve a spot on the varsity team? Is success more for herself or to prove to everyone else that she can do it? What is she willing to give up to be the best?

Isabelle Fuhrman, who many may remember from the 2009 film Orphan, plays the title character Alex Dall. Fuhrman’s portrayal is fierce and powerful, drawing the audience willingly into her world. She demonstrates not only the physicality of the character but delivers raw, honest emotion so believable that it makes viewers feel her character’s unwavering tenacity and inner vulnerability. Alex Dall is a complex, multidimensional character and Fuhrman’s subtle delivery in certain scenes spread throughout the film demonstrate her exceptional characterization. Although Isabelle Fuhrman is the one to watch in The Novice, there are a number of notable strong performances from Kate Drummond and Jonathan Cherry as the team’s coaches and Amy Forsyth as Alex’s teammate Jamie.

The film is written and directed by Lauren Hadaway, who comes from the post-production sound world. She’s a 2018 Outfest Screenwriting Lab Fellow and The Novice is her feature film directorial debut. Hadaway uses her own college rowing experiences as a basis for the film and this adds a layer of authenticity to the training and competition scenes seen in the movie.

The Novice tells the story of Alex’s obsessive journey in a very genuine way. There are other films that show a similar story depicting the struggle athletes endure in order to achieve success, but they do not always convey the severe physical and psychological toll it can take on a person, specifically on a young female athlete. Additionally, I commend Hadaway on not making Alex’s sexuality anything to focus on, but simply having it be a part of who she is. All of these elements combined with expertly staged competition scenes and Fuhrman’s standout performance, makes the film well worth a watch.