One Square Mile (2014)

One Square Mile: Directed by Charles-Olivier Michaud. With Kelly Blatz, Richard Jenkins, Kim Basinger, Cam Gigandet. A former track coach decides to train a student with natural athletic talent. Tragedy strikes, forcing the student to confront everything that has been holding him back.

“Yes there were the standard clichés of high school underdog athlete from the wrong side of town. But there were enough fine qualities to this film to overcome stereotypes of the genre.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe outcome was realistic and thatu0026#39;s refreshing. Iu0026#39;ve never seen the lead before, so I was able to believe him as the character without thinking of him as an actor from some other film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNo one was over-the-top. Thatu0026#39;s a big plus too. The gangster was pretty ordinary, the brother sleepy for the most part, the girl quiet and real, and the mom subtle and resigned. Iu0026#39;ve seen Richard Jenkins do these parts before, so I would have preferred someone else, but nevertheless, he did a decent job.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI totally get the message on a personal level. I have never been able to break through to that level of personal commitment required for greatness in anything. This kid had to.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNice cinematography, adequate use of emotional music without being obnoxious. But this is a dark, slow film and it requires a special degree of commitment to stick with it. Not unlike that required of a long distance runner.”