There’s a fascinating creative exercise at the heart of The Racer (Kieron J. Walsh, 2020). Set during the Irish stages of the 1998 Tour de France, the film embarks on an entirely fictional narrative. It follows Dominique Chabol (Louis Talpe), a ‘domestique’ (support rider), who, like many of his teammates, is entangled in a culture of doping, facilitated by the team’s soigneur, Sonny (Iain Glen). Chabol is the oldest in the squad, and despite his excellent form on the roads, his boss, aptly named Viking (Karel Roden), fires him in favour of a new kid on the saddle. When that rider is caught out and disqualified for drug use the night before the first stage, Chabol is back on the team, but for how long? With his future unclear, Chabol must do everything he can to leave his mark on this year’s race and get his contract renewed, no matter who or what he has to leave behind.
The establishment of the film’s location is a little heavy-handed: you’re told at least four times that you’re in Dublin—it’s literally signposted. Yet, it feels organic for the most part, the context fitting the narrative snugly; the 1998 Tour de France was a year of shame for the race, tainted by several doping scandals. James Mather’s cinematography focuses on the pain and physical prowess of the riders and their bikes, making extensive use of tight close-ups to emphasise the extremity of the athletes’ exertion and the intensity of the race. At the same time, however, he makes sure to capture ample shots of the Irish setting, whether that’s the sweeping rustic vistas as the race leads south, the intimate interiors of a local pub (sorely missed at the moment), the Wicklow mountains filling the horizon from Phoenix Park as characters cycle through, or the vibrancy of a full and excitable Merrion Square at the starting line of the first stage. The latter certainly brought a melancholy nostalgia for the type of summer events that would fill the streets which we have had to miss this year, and, admittedly, it is thrilling to watch movie stars touch the spaces that are familiar to our own experiences.
The film was unfortunate enough to have its SXSW premiere cancelled due to the pandemic, but I am very pleased that it isn’t one to have gone straight to PVOD or streaming. From the opening shot, the thumping techno score pounds through the sound system, locking you into its rhythm and immediately constructing a tense and dramatic soundscape. Throughout much of the film, the sound of ticking spokes on a bike wheel are a persistent presence, showing how all-encompassing cycling is to the characters’ lives. In terms of the sound, the intensity is reminiscent of a drugged-up thriller like Victoria (Sebastian Schipper, 2015) or Pusher (Nicolas Winding Refn, 1996), with the thumping sounds echoing a raised heartbeat, clocks ever ticking with tragic inevitability.
Talpe, a Belgian Doppelgänger of Antony Starr, certainly dominates the film both emotionally and physically: truly convincing with the extreme fitness of a cyclist and the insularity of the morally conflicted. He’ll be one to keep an eye out for, but he’s joined by excellent performances from Matteo Simoni as the hot-headed lead rider of the race team, and Tara Lee as Chabol’s doctor who quickly becomes more. Whilst I didn’t buy the emotional context of this relationship as dictated by the script, the palpable physical chemistry between Lee and Talpe is undeniable, and it is thanks to their strength as performers that this subplot works in any way. The focus on the relationship does weaken the pacing a bit, but for the most part, the film maintains its tempo and glides you along to the finish line.
I was initially conflicted about the ethical qualities of the film’s portrayal of doping, which could convincingly be argued to be rather romanticised. However, the ending does pedal its emotional and physical consequences pretty hard, and the film does consistently, albeit subtly, hint at the toxicity of the lifestyle throughout the narrative. It does this whilst still showing the audience exactly how the thrill of the race can seduce and intoxicate into a state of blindness so that you can no longer see the damage being done. The Racer is a thoroughly entertaining time at the movies, and is well worth the long-awaited return to the cinema aisles.
The Racer is released in Irish cinemas on December 11.
