aschultz-54096

13 Miles (2022)

Not what I expected...in a good way

I originally selected this film to watch because I have honestly never watched a film about triathlon and thought it could be an interesting Friday night watch.

I was wrong.

Yes, this film has many scenes at races and has the characters training, etc., but triathlon is really a backdrop for what this film really is about. What is this film actually about? To me, this film is more about relationships. Relationships between people, relationships with the sport, and relationships with themselves.

This film begins with ends and heartbreaks - an end to a heartbreaking career, an end to romantic relationship that leaves the female lead in heartbreak, and an internal heartbreak with what the female lead, Cora, and the male lead, Trevor, is forced to face. All these things, many people have faced, in one form or another.

This film is also about beginnings. Both leads are now forced to head down similar but different paths. New romantic relationships, new personal challenges, and facing a familiar sport that feels incredibly different now that they are different people themselves.

I enjoyed this film more than I thought I would. What Cora was feeling, facing, and challenging herself with, was very real to me. She's right. Why DOES everything HAVE to make sense. When you're just trying to keep your head above water, you grab onto what helps you focus on surviving. For her, in this moment, it was triathlon. For me, it was cycling. Her description about triathlon giving her the freedom to let go and be free was on point. Even now, on days that are particularly stressful, riding my bike and feeling the wind against my face really can't be beat. It IS freedom. Nothing else matters.

I chose this film for triathlon, but the realism and emotions behind the characters are what made me stay. Yes, this is a lower than Hallmark budgeted film. It does not have all the glitz and glamour of the perfect pictures Julia Roberts or Sandra Bollack and the like are typically in, but I am glad I came across this film. It wasn't what I expected - it was more.

A great Friday night watch!!