Strider: A Lighthearted Indie With An Abnormal Gait
Indie writer/director Mark Lewis follows up the unapologetically adult Enthusiastic Sinners with something more wholesome, innocent, and sweet. Strider is a lighthearted and modest sports drama about forming connections and realizing your potential. Even though it’s not as sure-footed as its title suggests, returning actress Maggie Alexander (from Enthusiastic Sinners) and newcomer Yelena Friedman (in her feature film debut) create some honest and touching moments that make the film’s journey worthwhile.
Jody (Yelena Friedman), a lonely teenage girl, joins forces with Hannah (Maggie Alexander), a disgraced track coach, and together they spend a summer training for the Pinnacle Games, the biggest track-and-field competition on the East Coast.
Strider conjures up some of the lighthearted warmth and goofiness of the youth sports comedies of the 90s, but it’s a bit too skimpy in the ways of conflict and characterization for its softly triumphant journey to land with full effect. Unlike a film like The Mighty Ducks, which weaves internal and external character conflicts into its “big game” against the rival team, Strider opts for quieter and more simplified character conflicts with fairly non-existent stakes. We are told that Jody, our main character, a lonely teen looking for her calling, has a “quitting problem” and can’t seem to finish anything, but we don’t really see her quitter’s attitude emerge until it’s convenient. We see that Hannah, Jody’s coach, has money troubles, which is why she hangs her hopes on Jody’s success, yet we never learn much about her financial struggles, and they don’t really impact the story at all.
And as for the race (or the Pinnacle Games as they’re referred to), well… it doesn’t really factor into things either. Well, it does, and it doesn’t. Really, it’s more so the occasion that allows Jody to battle herself than it is any kind of destination. So many competitive sports films emphasize the “big game” as its primary source of success or growth, but Strider uses its main event differently, in a surprising, almost Bad News Bears kinda way. In this sense, Strider is mildly refreshing, but its buildup to the “big game” is unfortunately weighed down by the two sub-plots that surround it.
One sub-plot involves Hannah and her vague money issue, which never resolves; the other involves a shoehorned love interest named Tim (played by Josiah Schneider) who starts dating Jody. While the former just kind of disappears (like Jody’s little brothers, who vanish from the story), the latter is pretty difficult to endure. Mainly, the interactions between Tim and Jody are awkward and a bit too melodramatic. There’s an agonizing scene where Tim serenades Jody with a poem he wrote that is deeply uncomfortable in its centered, close-up coverage. There’s also a scene where they both randomly get drunk on vodka though, which we found joyously comedic and wholly amusing. Mostly, Tim’s inclusion is just fluff to give Jody a life that radiates beyond her athletic pursuits and to serve as a distraction to her goals and aspirations.
The film’s idyllic country landscapes give you something nice to take in while you watch Jody train. The aerial photography from Karleah Del Moral gives the film some excellent production value. She captures some sweeping vistas that showcase fall in all its splendor. The cinematography from Ryan Balas also gives the film a visual pop. His shallow focus lensing really does the film a lot of favors, but he struggles a bit in lower-light settings. The performances span from amateurish to pretty decent, with Yelena Friedman leading the pack. She’s much less rigid than the others. There’s a naturalness to her performance, and she has a lot of fun in the role, which radiates off the screen. She’s at her best when she’s embracing her inner goof. Some of the impact of her performance is worn off though by the film’s stock soundtrack which gives it an insincere Hallmark kinda vibe at times.
While it struggles a bit with tone, conflict, and character, Strider still manages to hold interest until it crosses its finish line. It’s a film that kinda interestingly jogs in place, yet still feels like it’s covered some ground. It won’t likely blow your hair back, but there’s a handful of moments that are surprising, and its central message of perseverance is something we all need in these trying times.
Recommendation: If you looking for something light and sporty, you can find Strider currently available on Amazon Prime Video.
Rating: 2.5 starting lines outta 5.
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!