Agon

Innovative an captivating portrayal of three struggling female athletes preparing for a fictional Olympics, in a stylishly stylized docudrama about the pursuit of success and the fear of failure.

Olympic judo champion Alice Bellandi makes a powerful acting debut as a version of herself, facing a knee injury and an uphill battle ahead of the Games in Ludoj. Also aiming for Ludoj are a rifle shooter with a parallel influencer career, and a fencer harboring a mysterious secret. The film skillfully weaves their three stories together.

Feature debut director Giulio Bertelli (a former competitive sailor himself) explores the closed world of elite sports with psychological precision and artistic curiosity, where everything outside the bubble appears as a strangely distant backdrop.

• Johan Blomqvist