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Synopsis

Director Jan Tenhaven follows five European athletes preparing for an important competition in Finland. They all practice different disciplines, but have one thing in common: they are all well past retirement age. Austrian artist Alfred (100) is in training for the discus event, and will be happy with nothing less than a gold medal. He considers his age no reason to slow down: "I don't feel anything like a hundred. Of course, my body keeps getting older. But as long as it still works, that's not such a problem." For German Ilse (85, shot-put), Swede Herbert (93, hundred-meter), Czech Jií (82, high jump) and Italian journalist Gabre (age classified, discus), age is also no obstacle. We follow the athletes in training, in their daily activities in and around their homes, and see how they perform in the highly anticipated competition. They earn respect with their attitude toward life and their exercises, which are by no means without risk. They simply refuse to give up on life, in spite of deceased partners or physical infirmity. Herbert: "I see this as a way to lengthen my life. If I were to stop today, I'd be dead within a month." A film about love of sports as a metaphor for love of life.

A.P.

Wybrane nagrody i festiwale /Selected festivals and awards: 2010 – MFF Amsterdam/IDFA.