Up Again

A triple jump on ice skates lasts just a few seconds, but requires years of physical training and mental isolation. This time-lapse portrait of Barbora Vránková, three-time Czech figure skating champion, captures a pivotal period in her life between the ages of fifteen and eighteen. Her days are filled with online lessons, physiotherapy sessions and, above all, a rigorous training routine. The camera, synchronised with the protagonist’s movements, takes us straight onto the ice, where the screech of blades and the thumping of pop hits blend with the shouts of her coaches. Without any contrived pathos, the film follows how, fall after fall, the young athlete works her way towards precision on the ice and autonomy off it.