Icarus (2017)

Watched on Netflix March 4, 2018



This documentary is rightfully in competition for Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2017. Narrated in parts by Bryan Fogel (also director and producer) and Grigory Rodchenkov (former director of an anti-doping lab in Russia) my attention was riveted to the screen. The music did not overwhelm the narrative. Cinematography ranged from a comparatively intimate setting with 2 individuals talking, to stock footage of various athletic tournaments, all well placed. Editing kept each scene moving with dialogue that was pertinent not polemic. What was especially chilling were the quotations read by Grigory Rodchenkov from the novel by George Orwell 1984. Text segments that prove to be scarily relevant.The terse final credits detail what happened after information held by Grigory Rodchenkov was made public, thanks to the assistance of Mr. Fogel. This started out for Bryan Fogel as a personal story with the devastating news of the long use of steroids by his idol, racing cyclist Lance Armstrong. Bryan Fogel decided to make a documentary of himself actually taking steroids, medically monitored and on video. This would show his journey from months of steroids to participation of the French race "Haute Route" to see if that use would enhance his performance and if so, could it be discovered with current protocols. One of Mr. Fogel's consultant's in this journal was Grigory Rodchenkov, then head of WADA's (World Anti-Doping Agency) branch in Russia. Unexpectedly this personal documentary turned into an international scandal with one whistleblower affecting an entire nation, Russia. Ironically the location to where a very famous United States whistleblower fled. Information released because of this documentary detailed decades long use of prohibited substances taken by Russian athletes. Even knowing about this news, does not diminish the power of this 2 hour documentary.  There is more stress, excitement, revelations, international intrigue and drama in this documentary than any spy thriller I have ever seen. There is no blood, no visible bruising, no screams of the tortured and no sexual intrigue...there is only urine. Ultimately that is the final irony, because it was that substance that supported the claims of what the Russian government to this day continues to deny...wide-spread state sanctioned doping.