Tennis rivalry meets psychological growth in Borg vs. McEnroe.
After seeing another based-on-a-true-story, tennis rivalry film called Battle of the Sexes, I did not go into the similar premise of Borg vs. McEnroe with much in the way of expectations. But boy was I wrong and a half! Where Battle of the Sexes had a formulaic and emptly fanfare-ridden plot that tried excessively to be politically relevant and comedic, Borg vs. McEnroe has heart – genuine heart and soul.
Directed by Janus Metz Pedersen, this joint Swedish, Danish and Finnish film pulls out all the stops in delivering an authentic and genuine tale of hard work and psychological depth surrounding two tortured souls that just want to be the best - the best at tennis of course!
Borg vs. McEnroe does an interesting leap-frog narrative cross-cutting between our leads' past and present much like the style of Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs (2015). Here, you have two opposing tennis rivals that could not be more yin and yang. Björn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason) is known across the media as an ‘iceberg' personality. An emotionless and passive figure that is meticulous and methodical in his rituals from tennis to lifestyle. McEnroe is the other side of that coin. He's very spontaneous in his lifestyle going out to pubs and clubs with a far bigger penchant for emotions that made this figure's hot-headed temper on the tennis course an infamous icon across the sporting world.
But as the film progresses, the dichotomy of these two opposing personas start to evaporate as you watch the cross-cutting flashback arcs of the two juxtaposed characters when they were children. It may sound kind of tacky and convenient but what ultimately results is some very abstract yet engaging cinematic storytelling that flows well thanks to the polished writing and editing.
The editing is energetic and fierce. While you do see many cuts happening continuously across the whole film, a lot of them do not feel forced and flow coherently like a paint brush stroking elegantly on canvas throughout the movie's engaging plot. The montages execute themselves brilliantly adding style and storytelling in this non-linear narrative. The story's ambition in exploring the nature of catharsis for our two leads balances itself cleverly adding soul and substance to the story that could be easily riled up with glamour and politics.
The performances of our two leads are top-notch. Say what you will about Shia Lebouf and his colourful past - his performance in this film has heart and truth releasing all the anger and frustration that his real-life counterpart has without it being excessive. The man can most definitely act, and I could not imagine a better cast McEnroe than the guy that has the fury to "just do it."
Sverrir Gudnason plays the stoic figure well. Borg is a repressed figure, a volcano waiting to erupt and this dude's eyes really help you capture that chaos within him as he sets about trying to keep everything under control including his loved ones. Borg's mentor, played by Stellan Skarsgard, is excellent. What can I say? The man's experience is vast, and he plays this role effortlessly as the father figure that is not afraid to crack the cane on a child that needs to learn some life lessons.
There's a lot to love on the cinematography of this film. It's utterly glorious in detail and scale. Insightful focus pulls by the many, orchestrate themselves vividly on to the scenes. Incredible shots of framed composition breed immaculate storyboarding with the many slow-mos of tennis ferocity serving a treat for the eyes. The colour tones and grading came out masterfully ensuring the film takes a stranglehold on the emotional weight of the film's various themes.
Borg vs. McEnroe explores the nature of catharsis and how that makes or breaks a person. It's a great journey through the advents of psychological conditioning and how much humans can change when it is required of them. Janus Metz Pedersen should be very proud of this ambitious work and should be treated with anyone that wants to see the pressures of success and the nature of the human conditioning. This is the true tennis rivalry film of 2017.
Borg vs. McEnroe is out now in Australian cinemas.
