Though only in her twenties, champion swimmer Nadia (Katerine Savard) has decided to make the Tokyo Olympics her swan song. Top-tier amateur athletes have painfully short careers, but Nadia’s decision to leave now is especially fraught. She is resented by her coach for quitting so abruptly, and by her teammates for reminding them they don’t exactly have unlimited horizons. Ostracized, Nadia wanders awkwardly around Tokyo. (Ironically, it may be her first experience as a tourist — earlier, when someone comments about her extensive travel, Nadia responds that she “only saw the pools.”) A tone poem driven by fine performances (especially from Savard), Nadia, Butterfly deserves comparisons to classic sports movies (see: Sarah Prefers to Run, Personal Best) that deal with the athletes’ mindsets rather than the results of their competitions. Adding to the poignancy is the fact that the particular Olympics of the film’s setting didn’t even happen as scheduled in 2020 due to COVID.
TIFF.net/TopTen
