AUTUMN GOLD Reviews
“If this film doesn’t make you jump off the couch and put on your running shoes, nothing will.“
-National Post Kanada
„With equal parts heart and humour, Autumn Gold offers a most inspiring look at life’s longest running battle.“
-Myrocia Watamaniuk / Hot Docs Documentary Festival
„As much as kids and animals are a surefire recipe for success, old people (in shorts and super slo-mo, no less!) should be the ultimate turn-off. But these oldies are real athletes, preparing for the Senior Olympics and battling with their bodies in a way that’s by turns heartwarming and exciting.“
-EXBERLINER
„The very definition of a crowd pleaser, Autumn Gold was greeted with a standing ovation and thunderous applause at its world premiere screening. It’s a can’t-miss formula. Follow five athletes, all over 80 years of age, as they prepare for the World Masters Athletics Championships, held in 2009 in Lahti, Finland. Though it combines two very shopworn documentary elements (elderly subjects, a big competition), the film manages to transcend the formula by keeping its focus very much on the participants in the present and not delving too deeply into their past lives. (…) Touching and inspiring.“
-Toronto Screen Shots
„The humanity of observation combined with the skillful editing and resourceful directing in addition to a surprising ending, turn this film into an entertaining, moving, and even funny masterpiece of its genre.“ -Michel Noll, Jury President, Guangzhou International Documentary Festival, China „The film really makes you laugh, but touches you at the same time. It‘s an ironic contradiction: a documentary about old people, loved by young people.“
-DOC-U Youth Jury, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)
„Autumn Gold is an absolutely charming film that soars triumphantly above all the hackneyed sports movies you’ve ever seen. (…) Come on, shake a leg and get inspired. -Cleveland International Film Festival „Freak show though it may sound, director Jan Tenhaven has steered well clear of patronizing athlete or audience. Rather than guffawing at ,an old person trying to do exercise‘, Autumn Gold is a light-hearted yet endearing piece, guaranteed to make your belly ache with laughter, and to make you feel a little more positive about life. (…) Each (character) is so vivid and witty, none of them could have been made up by the best screenwriter in the world.“
-The Prague Post
„A film sure to please the sports lover in all of us, Autumn Gold is one of those inspirational movies that comes along every once in a while that has you feeling like you could run the Boston Marathon by the time the end credits roll. Following the events of five geriatric athletes aged 83-100 years old training for the 2009 World Masters track and field championships held in Finland, anyone that shares a passion for glory or has a soft spot for the elderly will feel like a winner watching 90-year-old Herbert run the 100 mile dash.“
-AltOhio.com
„Autumn Gold makes you marvel as often as it makes you smile.“
-The Star, Toronto
„A celebration of life force! A movie filled with joy of—and for—LIFE. Autumn Gold explores the deep drive of the human spirit that exists in all of us, no matter what our age. The wit, the triumphs, and the human desire to challenge oneself are all blended together to examine the quest for a fulfilled long life. The visually captivating and mythical ending of the movie is not just extraordinary but inspiring to us all. I loved it.“
-Uta Pippig, three-time winner of both the Boston and Berlin Marathons, Founder and President of Take The Magic Step®
„The film’s power comes from watching the athletes’ struggling bodies as much as hearing their words. In the age of reality-TV, where intimacy is so often associated with humiliation, this movie feels like some kind of antidote. It combines personal exposure with an ethic of total dignity.“
-DOXA Documentary Film Festival Vancouver
“This film is the kick-start you will need if you struggle to find the energy to move from the couch and head to the gym. (…) It comes down to a competition of age and all the athletes make it over the finish line in an almost triumphant finale to a feel-good film. But win or lose, this film proves that it’s all about not giving up on life, whatever your age. It is inspiring to us all as it pushes us to succeed.“
–The Royal Gazette, Bermuda
„Director Jan Tenhaven doesn’t shy away from the tough questions, and certainly isn’t romanticising his subjects, but it’s still impossible not to be a little moved by the dignity and warmth he gets onto the screen. These five are definitely no sissies, but neither are they immune to vulnerability or the pain of loss. This is a film that could have you tearing up at their grief, and cheering at their triumphs, pretty much in the same breath. I loved it. Go have a look.“
-The Dominion Post, New Zealand
„Meditative and astute documentary (…) In favour of painting a series of metaphorical, cinematic profiles of these athletes, Tenhaven avoids rationalising the reasons for their physical longevity and undiminished fitness. The outcome is a beautiful portrayal of a group of markedly different senior citizens who share a common love of sports and an irrepressibly infectious appetite for life.“
-ArtsHub, Australia
„The immensely charming personalities and aspirations of its protagonists make for a wonderfullyentertaining and compelling film.“
-Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Greece
