The Track, a new documentary by Ryan Sidhoo, is a beautiful, cinematic, and intimate portrait of three friends chasing their dream of competing in the Olympic luge.
At the center of the film is the practice luge track itself. It looks like an abandoned relic from the past—cracked, covered in graffiti, and full of holes. It has become something of a tourist attraction, a monument to a different era. And yet, this is where the underfunded luge team still practices. There’s a moment, after spending so much time at the track without it being used—people walking along it, sitting on it, talking about it—when one of the hopefuls finally makes his way to the start line for a practice run. As he pushes off and begins his descent, the moment feels transcendent.
There is a tactile weight to the film. The story of young people in Bosnia today is juxtaposed with the history of the place they call home—cameras tracking over abandoned Olympic infrastructure, layered with archival footage of conflict and pain. Within the first five minutes, I felt tears welling up. Not only from the sorrow, but from the beauty as well.
Suffering and jubilation always exist beside each other, and that contrast becomes especially stark during global events like the Olympics. Some people live out their dreams, achieving victory for their country, while others are being forced from their homes, or others are caught in the middle of civil war.
What makes The Track so special is not only its emotional weight, but its craft. The film drifts forward with grace, care, and humanity. It’s photographed beautifully, but never in a way that calls attention to itself. The ambient score is deeply affecting, and the editing is remarkable—every cut feels purposeful, arriving at exactly the right moment.
Needless to say, I loved this film.
