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The Athlete Photos

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Movie Info

After losing the use of his legs in a car accident, marathon runner Abebe Bikila (Rasselas Lakew) finds a new outlet for his athletic ability and competitive nature in archery and a type of sled-dog racing.

Genre:

biography, drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

Davey Frankel, Rasselas Lakew
Producer:

Davey Frankel, Rasselas Lakew, Darryn Welch
Writer:

Rasselas Lakew, Davey Frankel, Mikael Amerio Awake
Release Date (Streaming):

Mar 23, 2017
Runtime:

1h 25m
Production Co:

AV Patchbay, Instinctive Film, Cinema Aethiopica

Cast & Crew

Rasselas Lakew
Abebe Bikila

Dag Malmberg
Onni

Ruta Gedmintas
Charlotte

Abba Waka Dessalegn
The Priest

Davey Frankel
Director

Rasselas Lakew
Director

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for The Athlete

All Critics (7) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (2) | Rotten (5)

There are perhaps two better films lurking within "Atletu," one a more straightforward documentary and the other a narrative biopic, but this hybrid falls flat.

November 30, 2012 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Mark Olsen
Los Angeles Times
The essential simplicity of this tale about a true hero is often very moving.

June 29, 2012 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

London Evening Standard
It's a blend of documentary and drama, but while the archive clips of Bikila's victories are thrilling, the performances are flat and the script tired.

June 28, 2012 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Henry Barnes
Guardian
You feel that Bikila's admittedly amazing story would've been better transmitted through straight documentary or straight drama, not an uneasy bowlderisation of both.

June 28, 2012 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

David Jenkins
Little White Lies
This is an ambitious and brave project which, if it doesn't quite reach the heights it might, is still a worthwhile watch and bodes well for both filmmakers in future.

February 4, 2013 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Amber Wilkinson
Eye for Film
Told through reconstruction and archive footage, the story of Ethiopian marathon legend Abebe Bikila can't muster the drama it deserves.

July 1, 2012 | Full Review…

Jason Solomons
Observer (UK)
Effective at studying a physical specimen, but as an examination of a man in terms of what he means to his family and his country, the context is fatally scarce.

June 25, 2012 | Rating: 2.5/5 | Full Review…

Shaun Munro
What Culture