ICAURUS ON NETFLIX

ICAURUS ON NETFLIX

A film about doping among Russian athletes

A few years after the Olympics in Sochi and the revelations about the use of doping by Russia, the topic continues to excite the world in full force. Should innocent athletes be deprived of the emotion of hearing their national anthem from the highest sporting peak? Should they compete under the name "Russian Olympic Committee"? Is this depersonalization of sports achievements necessary when they are a fact? And does the end really justify the means? All these questions are asked by the director Brian Vogel, who undertakes the difficult task of stepping into the shoes of an athlete (himself an amateur cyclist) and examines first-hand the interaction between doping and performance. He does it by injecting a substance into his own body and racing against his personal abilities, rivals and anti-doping control.

His documentary "Icarus" was released in 2017. The production is part of the title-rich Netflix platform, and its script boomerangs institutions, athletes and society, recalling the terrifying revelations of the Sochi Games. To find out all about the Russian-sponsored Olympic doping program, director Brian Vogel contacts Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov. The Russian scientist who is at the heart of the doping movement and has information that can shed light once and for all on the unknown surrounding the biggest international sports scandal.

In the course of filming and interviews, Vogel and Rodchenkov became friends. As usually happens in sports. The two embark on an extraordinary, at first glance, adventure, which at the very end looks like a mirror of society and its resistance. However, if this is the mirror of professional sports, which arouses admiration in all of us after another superhuman achievement, then is there room for adoration?

Icarus is a film about truth, choices and victory. Does the end justify the means? This is a question whose answer is strictly individual. One thing's for sure - you'll be thinking about it long after the closing credits.

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