BBC2 Dive: A love story in two parts

I was alerted to this quiet gem in The Guardian earlier this evening. Dominic Savage explains how he got into the minds of teenagers to make this film. All very well intentioned and got me very curious as to what exactly he managed to extract from notoriously hard to  plumb beasts.

From the opening sequence through to the end of part one, the film draws a compelling picture of what it's like to live a divorce and have a dreams of your own. This girl who is already devoting more time to her sport than most people her age to anything at all , is further pushed into the regimen by a need to escape her home life. The intrusion of a personal life on the young athlete is further distraction that ultimately  pushes her even more into diving, and away from other people when she finds out her boyfriend isn't even sure he likes her.  Part one is filmed very clearly from Lindsey's point of view, hence the title, and conveys the solitary nature of this girl who has one ambition , and that is to make something of herself and leave behind the family she clearly thinks don't care much about her. Only her little brother seems to be in any way sympathetic, and that is not to say the adults are one dimensional cut outs to her fully fleshed out character.   Having been on both ends of the argument, first as a teen  then as an adult in a divorce, I can see how the story treats the words that are said with respect and shows volumes of emotion  through action and silence, far better than if the cast had spent the entire film shouting at each other like some OTT lorry drivers.

Teens are as a rule quiet things who speak sparingly while giving as little as possible away. Even when in groups they put on a face that still conceals who they really are.  Robert, the boyfriend, is barely old enough to know what he wants to do or when he needs to decide. He sharply contrasts the driven future Olympic hopeful who has  clocked over 10,000 hours of training , and she tells him so. He has to at least pretend he cares or risk loosing her for good. The usual complications arise and Lindsey is forced to choose London 2012 or giving up her dream.

It being a dour Northern drama with a cast we've all seen in similarly dark outings, I wasn't disappointed in the least bit. Life is not always the sunny side of the street and this film, so far has been authentic to the difficulty of keeping focussed when all around you is falling apart.   Well acted well cast, I particularly liked the little brother, he didn't get to say much, but when he did , it was worth the wait. . We'll be tuning in for the next part.  Not your overly preachy life lesson film that tries to teach you something. All it wants to do is understand these two young people. So far so good. BBC2 Dive