Skating Through It

"Skating Through It!" is a well-structured, tightly-woven, and incredibly fascinating portrait about a group of courageous athletes in a little-known world: former, professional and wannabee teenage figure skaters who — now, as adults — travel an 'adult competitive figure skating' circuit for a second-chance at glory, prizes and self-esteem. Each character is extremely well-drawn by the filmmaker, with some of the stories particularly moving (the cancer survivor, a pediatrician, a flight attendant, et al). The film follows what seems at first to be the familiar tropes of the sports documentary. But it gradually shifts on the viewer, becoming a series of portraits in courage, dramatizing the possibility of a 'Second Act' in American life. This shift from the particular to the general brings out inspirational qualities in each story: and the cumulative effect of the film as a whole is a highly inspirational one indeed. I recommend the film more as an inspirational film about courage, than as a 'sports film' per se. ********* (nine stars)