Film Review: THE NOVICE: A Solid Dramatic Thriller About Facing Fierce Competition [Tribeca 2021]

The Novice Review

The Novice (2021) Film Review from the 20th Annual Tribeca Film Festival, a movie directed by Lauren Hadaway, and starring Isabelle Fuhrman, Chantelle Bishop, Jonathan Cherry, Dilone, Kate Drummond, Nikki Duval, Amy Forsyth, Robert Ifedi, Eve Kanyo, Jeni Ross, and Charlotte Ubben.

If somebody is really good at something then that person will most likely want the whole world to know about it. This concept can help you understand the mindset of some characters in the new film, The Novice, directed by Lauren Hadaway. Characters in the film want to be the best and win to keep scholarships and win awards. What’s interesting about this film is the way it makes the audience question whether or not knowing you’re good at something is as important as showing the world you’re good at something and proving it.

Rowing is the sport the film focuses in on here and it’s quite a good sport to help convey the film’s themes. While the movie is reminiscent of some past films, it also unique in its portrayal of a queer young woman named Alex Dall (Isabelle Fuhrman) who seems as if she’d do anything to go all the way and win whether she technically needs to or not. She’s a female with fierce determination and re-takes tests again in her coursework to make sure she masters the material she is presented with. She’s a college freshman.

The odd hours the rowers train and the breakdowns and mishaps the girls on the team encounter are well conveyed and realistic. Alex is a part of a highly competitive group of girls who have the same determination as she does. The question then becomes: How far will each girl go to achieve victory?

One strength of the film is how it captures college life very accurately. These girls on the rowing team are out of high school now and are involved with something much more difficult than they could ever imagine but they seem to be more than up to the task of working their butts off whether it be for the financial reason of keeping a scholarship or just for the glory of it.

Alex doesn’t always fit in. She’s different from the other girls. Fuhrman, who burst on to the scene in 2009 with her role in the great horror film Orphan, is better than she’s ever been before in her role here. She underwent a tremendous physical challenge to get ready for this role and her hard work has paid off. It’s not that she just looks the part, she acts it too. Every scene she’s in contains fierce, raw vulnerability. Her need for love and for companionship comes into play as well in the picture. We feel sympathy for her even if she’s a little too competitive for her own good.

Most of all, Fuhrman’s character wants to prove she’s the best even though she knows she probably is the best. She comes across as the “best” with all her injuries and her determination to go on even when it becomes easy to lose hope. It’s a remarkable characterization by Fuhrman.

Lauren Hadaway is to be credited for her staging of excellent, authentic rowing competition scenes. Hadaway also brings the best out of her whole cast. Fuhrman, as previously mentioned, is the star but there are also solid turns by Kate Drummond and Jonathan Cherry who capture the essence of the coaches they play to a tee.

But, this is Fuhrman’s movie all the way through. She, as the title character, keeps the audience involved in her solemn, intense characterization and she’s the reason to see the film.

The Novice will make you question how far one could go to fulfill one’s ultimate goals in life. There’s a fine line between being great and proving that greatness to others. This film is all about that tightrope which Alex walks on the whole entire movie. It’s a good film.

Rating: 7/10

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