The Runners, and an interview with co-director Matan Rochlitz
Of all the exercises that the human body can engage in, running is perhaps the only one that allows for another world to blossom around the runner. The whole process requires a great amount of focus: you have to be sure of your pacing, your breath, how your muscles feel, checking in with your body for pain, dehydration, seeing how you're doing on time. But eventually, these duties become mechanical, and the mind and spirit -- that infamous pair that chafe when they get too close to each other -- begin to work in a wonderfully paced harmony. Thoughts come and go, worries rise and fall. The ground and surroundings become a metaphor for whatever's on your mind. And no matter what that is, the conclusion is always the same: keep going. In this short documentary, cleverly disguised as 11 minutes spent with a variety of running strangers, we receive tremendous insight that feels as well-timed as the unrelenting thumping of their feet. I felt so thankful at the end of this film. I...