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“Sprinter,” is a great film with lots of colors and strong character development. Released in 2019, the movie was directed by Storm Saulter and produced by Robert A. Maylor, Clarence Hammond, and Jamal M. Watson. The cast includes Dale Elliott playing Akeem Sharp, Kadeem Wilson as Germaine Sharp, David Alan Grier in the role of the Coach, Lorraine Toussaint playing Donna, and Dennis Titus as Garfield Sharp.
Akeem Sharp is the main character who looks up to his older brother, Germaine, who had his own track career that ended due to an injury. Sharp has the same ambitions of becoming one of the best sprinters on the track. He dreams of becoming one of the new 200-meter champions from his school, as well as working toward receiving a scholarship.
He begins to become distracted during a big winning streak when he gains media attention. Moreover, there is a flirtatious female teammate who also becomes a distraction.
Things are rough at home for the high school track star. His mother, Donna who lives in the United States, becomes less available for their Skype calls. His father, Garfield’s behavior becomes erratic, whose drinking is problematic.
Moreover, his bother is jealous of his success. He later betrays his younger bother’s trust by influencing Akeem to go pro instead of going to college. He does this by showing him the quick money that would come and all the girls and flashy cars. He further attempted to block his younger bother’s acceptance to the college in the United States by agreeing to but not sending out his application.
In the later scenes, the relationship between the bothers is rebuilt. He also experiences an improved connection with each of his parents.
Shura Adams said:
“Sprinter” is more than a story about a young boy’s athletic aspirations. “Sprinter” is a story about self-determination, resiliency, and family. Akeem is propelled into his adulthood as he no longer passively accept the things that happen to him and no longer follows other people’s expectations of him.
Erika Hardison thoughts were:
“Sprinter” provides a realistic depiction of family and how teens process change and challenges, delivering a feel-good movie without the fluffy filler but still leaves you misty-eyed. Sprinter’s authentic Jamaican setting provides an inspiring mood and tone to the story and makes us hope all of the characters can find redemption and solace in the choices they make.
My Opinion
This was a well-put-together movie showing the struggles of high school athletes who just suddenly blows up out of the blue not knowing how to live that lifestyle. Some criticism would be that not all black athletes have these struggles of missing a family member with it being there mother or dad. This is another typical stereotype in the movie that it only shows one side of a black athlete’s story, much like the rest of the movies out today.
Written by Jordan Fenderson
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Variety: Film Review: ‘Sprinter’
THE KNOCKTURNAL: Film Review: ‘Sprinter’
Flickering Myth: Movie Review – Sprinter (2019)
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Sean MacEntee’s Flickr Page- Creative Commons License