So, I've recently seen this movie, and have very mixed feelings about it. It's like 2 different movies, and as such, has its ups and downs.Long story short: it is the story of Dongó (Zoltán Miklós, Hajdú), a Hungarian gymnast, whose career had been broken in two, due to a childhood accident. 19 years later, he starts to rebuild his life in Canada, where he becomes a trainer, but the shadows of his past still haunt him. He commits physical abuse against a child under his care, and almost expelled from the gym club for that. His only chance to redeem himself is to take care of, and train Kyle, a promising, but utterly stubborn and rebelling teenager gymnast, the country's greatest hope for the next Olympic games. The story's last quarter takes place at a world championship in Hungary, where we simultaneously learn the happenings of the past, which led to giving up the protagonist's career, and how he looses the championship, but finding some moral remedy for himself. In the closing scene we see Dongó as a member of the world-famous Cirque du Soleil.Let's start with the good one. Parts, taking place in the 80's are phenomenal. The stories of young Dongó (Orion Radies) are full of with throat-gripping scenes about childhood abuse, parents forcing their child to fulfill the parents' dream, the physical and psychical breaking of the gymnasts so they can be the best of the best. Even more appalling (and aggravating), how the parents assisted to the abuse (especially rough scene the one with the whipped boy, whose father, a state intelligence agency's member sat down and watched the whole thing, like nothing happened). These scenes are clearly from the childhood memories from the writer/director (Szabolcs Hajdu). Acting is superb, Puma, the trainer (Gheorghe Dinica), though not as frightful, as, for example, Fletcher in Whiplash, still delivers the character greatly.And now, the low parts. The story-line in the 2000's is nowhere near as well-made, as the first half of the movie. The whole situation feels overly made-up, and you cannot escape the feeling, that they just connected 2, completely independent story-lines, just to make the movie longer. Kyle's character and motivation are hardly fleshed out. Drives behind adult Dongó's actions are also poorly portrayed, and though Hajdu (the writer and director's brother) physically suits for the role, his acting is nothing to write home about. The same can be said about the Canadian gym club leader, who looks a bit fake and exaggerated. The ending is also somewhat confusing, but acceptable. The movie itself is also a bit hypocrite. Upon the commitment of physical abuse, the club leader scolds Dongó, that this is completely not OK. As if abuse (physical and psychical) was a thing of the past. However, abuse remains even today, in almost every branch of the competitive sport. Now, the main drive is not the national (or personal) pride, but the money of the sponsors, and still, the expectations of the parents.Even though, I would like to praise the movie for letting the people know about the harsh and unforgiving regime of the world of the professional sport - or at least a tiny slice of it. It helps you to realize, how many broken childhood, mentally and emotionally disfigured juvenile men and women are behind the medals of the Olympic and world championships. And it successfully convinced me to encourage my children to do sports, but keep them the hell away from the professional sport, if I want to grow mentally healthy adults out of them.

A really good film but one of the saddest films I've seen in a long time. Although the film was was released in 2006 I only saw it on Australian TV in August 2008. It was shown very late at night with a warning beforehand of child abuse which nearly put me off watching it. If this is not a true life story, I would guess that it must be based on one as it is so very credible. The choice of athletes and actors was good and the role of the coach who trained the young gymnasts was played menacingly well. What a horrible character and unfortunately there may be more than one of those in the real world. The parents were disgusting - I'd run away from home if they were mine. After all his misadventures, I hope that Miklós enjoyed his time with Cirque De Soleil in Las Vegas because by then, in my opinion, after all the hardships he endured he deserved to be treated as a very unique person.

I loved this movie and it was the best one I saw at the Toronto International Film festival. I appreciate the effort and detail at capturing the child abuse and then conveying it to the audience. Especially the scene where young Dongo goes home to visit his parents at Christmas time and the parents ask him how the marks got on his body. After failing them to believe that he didn't do anything wrong and was hit for no reason, he makes up a story about throwing a knife and then they believe him. I just couldn't get over the closeness I felt with the main character. This movie is great for audiences of all ages especially for anyone who needs that nudge to believe that they are alright just the way they are.

What I quite liked in the movie was the way the early 1980's scenes and feeling was depicted. It gives a superb re-view of the late communist way of thinking. On values and performance in a sporty way. One of the best scenes for me is the one when the grown up Dongo (the main character) gives a strike to a young Canadian athlete he is instructing. The Canadian parents reaction makes a strong counter point with the really socialist, inhuman reactions of the parents - his parents included - back in his childhood. Counter points are also intensified by the cool editing and the Black and whitish (young Dongo time) and todays scenes. The only thing I would have left out or would alter is the visiting Russian circus story of the teenage Dongo. It feels a little cliché to me!Go and see for yourself though! A cool movie for Central Europe and sports addicts.