Dame Valerie Adams: More Than Gold: Movie Review

Cast: Valerie Adams

Director: Briar March

There's a fascinating paradigm at play in Dame Valerie Adams: More Than Gold, the latest documentary from Briar March.

Whilst it's a peek behind the scenes of what inspires a high-performance athlete, there's also a maddening view that being a woman in both sport and society is something that's largely untenable for those wanting to pursue their dreams.

As Adams opines at one point, "No All Black ever gets criticised for going on tour and leaving his kids behind" - it's a subtly damning indictment of the double standards placed on women in society and yet it's also a moment in March's exploration of shotput gold medalist Adams that cries out for some kind of national rejoinder.

By exploring Adams' past and build up to her final ever Olympic Games in Tokyo, March paints a compellingly sensitive portrait of the South Auckland athlete who literally stood head and shoulders above her schoolmates, and who didn't even have shoes for her first competition.

With animations and Adams' own recollections and reflections on key moments of her past, what emerges is a story that's testament to the age old adage that it takes a village to raise a child - and also an incredible testament to Adams' own strengths and commitment.

Whether it's training endlessly, exploring the loss of a father figure in her life, carefully dealing with the heartbreak of the death of her mother or exploring the separation guilt Adams feels in the pursuit of her goals, March weaves together a film that subtly calls for change in the isolation of being a sporting great, while celebrating the athlete within.

There's heart in this, and while the outcome of Adams' quest may be known to most New Zealanders, the journey is definitely worth the exploration.

While there are a few moments where it falters (an exploration of domestic violence encountered by Adams, the aforementioned contrast in how women are treated), Dame Valerie Adams: More Than Gold is a film that ultimately inspires in no small part due to its honesty and the integrity of its subject.

It may not hit the heights of some documentaries, but for a film about a sporting icon whose journey has been less than conventional, Dame Valerie Adams: More Than Gold is a film that's worthy of a watch.