Alex, a college freshman, joins her university's rowing team and undertakes an obsessive physical and psychological journey to make it to the top varsity boat. No matter the cost. Intent on outperforming her teammates, Alex pushes herself to her limits-and beyond, alienating everyone around her in the name of success.... (Full plot summary below)
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Alex, a college freshman, joins her university's rowing team and undertakes an obsessive physical and psychological journey to make it to the top varsity boat. No matter the cost. Intent on outperforming her teammates, Alex pushes herself to her limits-and beyond, alienating everyone around her in the name of success.
Leave your thoughts about The Novice.
| The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeIt’s not surprising to learn that its writer and director, Lauren Hadaway, who based this film on her own experiences on a college rowing team, has a background in sound editing. |
| The PlaylistLena WilsonThis film more than proves its director and lead’s talents. Sure, it’s gut-wrenching, but film fans will also find it exhilarating. It is the artistic equivalent of watching a well-trained underdog vault the finish line at her first big race. |
| Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshHadaway’s previous career as a sound editor is all over this piece, as is her personal experience as a collegiate rower. She has crafted this film as catharsis, and like her protagonist’s journey, it’s both harrowing and triumphant. |
| The New York TimesTeo BugbeeFuhrman’s performance matches the filmmaking for its intensity. The movie achieves a surreal allure — at times, it’s hard to pay attention to the dialogue because the images and the sound design are already communicating so much. |
| The Hollywood ReporterJourdain SearlesDark, unnerving and thrilling, The Novice is poised to become a genre-breaking success. A film this raw made with such a steady, assured hand only comes along once in a while. We should take notice. |
| TheWrapRonda Racha PenriceWhat’s absolutely clear is Hadaway’s stunning eye and control of the camera. Her direction is not just steady but highly evocative, and the cinematography from Todd Martin, making his feature debut after shooting dozens of shorts and music videos, is just breathtaking. What a wonderful debut from them both. |
| RogerEbert.comChristy LemireThe feature filmmaking debut from writer/director/co-editor Lauren Hadaway is an intimate and powerful sensory experience all around, but it’s the sound editing—Hadaway’s first calling, having worked with the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Zack Snyder, and Damien Chazelle—that grabs you off the top and envelops you throughout. |
| ReelViewsJames BerardinelliThe escapism on offer here isn’t of a light and airy nature but instead provides insight into the darker, obsessive aspects of the human experience. |
| Little White LiesElizabeth WiartHadaway paints a deep portrait of mental struggles that soon overflow onto the main character’s body, from the peeling bloody skin of her hands to her slashed ribs. |
| VarietyOwen GleibermanIsabelle Fuhrman infuses Dall with an ambiguous glower of ambition that’s scary and human. |
