The Novice

Name: The Novice
Genre: Thriller
Released: December 17, 2021
Duration: 94 min
Rating: 85
Cast: Amy Forsyth, Charlotte Ubben, Dilone, Eve Kanyo, Isabelle Fuhrman

2021

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 18 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Ratings

See All

6.7

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6.7	Your Score
6.7	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

The Novice

Now Playing: The Novice

Movie Details & Credits

IFC Films | Release Date: December 17, 2021 | Not Rated

Starring: Amy Forsyth, Charlotte Ubben, Dilone, Eve Kanyo, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jeni Ross, Jonathan Cherry, Kate Drummond, Nikki Duval, Robert Ifedi

Summary: An obsessive novice rower climbs the ranks of her cutthroat university's team, pushing herself to physical and mental extremes in her quest to become the best.

Director: Lauren Hadaway

Genre(s): Thriller

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 94 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Stream On

Expand

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Wendy Ide

Apr 4, 2022

It’s not surprising to learn that its writer and director, Lauren Hadaway, who based this film on her own experiences on a college rowing team, has a background in sound editing. Read full review

100

Katie Walsh

Dec 16, 2021

Hadaway’s previous career as a sound editor is all over this piece, as is her personal experience as a collegiate rower. She has crafted this film as catharsis, and like her protagonist’s journey, it’s both harrowing and triumphant. Read full review

Jourdain Searles

Jul 8, 2021

Dark, unnerving and thrilling, The Novice is poised to become a genre-breaking success. A film this raw made with such a steady, assured hand only comes along once in a while. We should take notice. Read full review

Hoai-Tran Bui

Jun 26, 2021

Fuhrman’s performance is so unhinged, and Hadaway’s direction is so merciless, that The Novice constantly dances on the edge of character drama and full-fledged horror movie. It’s an impressive feat of incisively dark tone, even if the plot and characters are little more than shadows. Read full review

Elizabeth Wiart

Apr 1, 2022

Hadaway paints a deep portrait of mental struggles that soon overflow onto the main character’s body, from the peeling bloody skin of her hands to her slashed ribs. Read full review

Craig D. Lindsey

Dec 16, 2021

The filmmaker, who also co-edited The Novice, depicts Alex’s freshman year in quick-cutting, frenetic, anxiety-ridden fashion, with composer Alex Weston’s string-heavy score properly ratcheting up the tension and Fuhrman gamely acting like a harried but dedicated ball of nerves. Read full review

The Guardian Phil Hoad

Mar 29, 2022

It’s hard to deny Fuhrman’s pinch-faced vehemence and the film’s hallucinatory verve. Read full review

SEE ALL 18 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

Rebecca31

Apr 3, 2022

The Novice does to rowing what Black Swan did to ballet. An overwhelmingly stressful look into the world of rowing and the effect it can have on one’s life and mental health. College freshman Alex Dall (Isabelle Fuhrman) joins the university’s rowing team in order to gain a chance at gettingThe Novice does to rowing what Black Swan did to ballet. An overwhelmingly stressful look into the world of rowing and the effect it can have on one’s life and mental health. College freshman Alex Dall (Isabelle Fuhrman) joins the university’s rowing team in order to gain a chance at getting a scholarship. Alex’s competitive nature and desperate need to be the best both academically and as part of the rowing team quickly turns to obsession which then takes its toll on her, physically and mentally.

Straight away it needs to be said that The Novice is not going to be for everyone. It feels very real and authentic, a deep dive look into the world of rowing. It’s expertly directed by Lauren Hadaway with a stunning performance from Isabelle Fuhrman. At times you do forget you’re watching an actual film here and it feels completely real. This of course only adds to the level of stress and building pressure for the entire film. There is a constant sense of dread for a lot of the film and it’s probably not the right thing to watch for anyone considering getting into rowing. It’s almost frustrating to watch as you see Alex putting herself through this, losing herself in the obsessive drive to be the best whatever the cost. You almost want to jump into the screen and scream at her to stop. A very impressive directorial debut by Lauren Hadaway.

The Novice certainly won’t be to everyone’s tastes, it’s an incredibly stressful watch and not one I’d particularly want to see again as I felt quite drained after it. Best recommended for anyone who liked the look of the trailer.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Scraper

Jan 5, 2022

The utter stylishness of the Novice will generate a lot of buzz but that's ultimately it's biggest downfall. I love movies that want to go someplace raw and not hold back. The Novice goes there but with so much frenetic camerawork and montage after montage it seems more like a music video.The utter stylishness of the Novice will generate a lot of buzz but that's ultimately it's biggest downfall. I love movies that want to go someplace raw and not hold back. The Novice goes there but with so much frenetic camerawork and montage after montage it seems more like a music video. Movies like this actually end up suffocating it's characters rather than fleshing them out completely. Alex's dialogue is great but she rarely gets to speak or have conversations. The overabundance of cuts never lets a scene speak for itself, constantly only giving the audience flashes. Unfortunately it seems like a lot of b-roll. The ending sputters as if to say "We've put you through the ringer already. Roll credits."… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Brent_Marchant

Feb 3, 2022

Writer-director Lauren Hadaway's debut feature is the kind of picture that I describe as "Look Ma, No Hands" filmmaking, a movie in which a wide array of photographic, narrative and atmospheric elements are all haphazardly thrown together to showcase the creator's range but ending up with aWriter-director Lauren Hadaway's debut feature is the kind of picture that I describe as "Look Ma, No Hands" filmmaking, a movie in which a wide array of photographic, narrative and atmospheric elements are all haphazardly thrown together to showcase the creator's range but ending up with a finished product that's scattered, unfocused and largely incoherent. This cryptic tale of a perfectionist student athlete spends its first half endlessly depicting this overblown character trait but offering precious little in terms of motivation or back story. This makes for a mystifying, tiresome and boring exercise that tries to prop itself up with gimmicky editing and an exhausting yet unsatisfying narrative. The film attempts to compensate for this in its back half by finally filling in some of the missing pieces, but, by that point, given the prior lack of engagement, it's difficult to muster much interest or enthusiasm for what's playing out. To its credit, the picture does feature some inventive cinematography, but that's window dressing that's undercut by all of the foregoing issues, not to mention a fundamentally odd idiom for exploring its central subject matter and an eclectic soundtrack that often feels weirdly out of place. I really have to wonder what the director was aiming for here, but most of it doesn't add up, leaving viewers with more muddle than riddle. Yet more proof of what an awful movie year 2021 was.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

swannu

Dec 29, 2021

Very painful to watch, so I couldn't make it past the third of the movie. The neurosis of the main character is not only heavy-handedly (in a bad Aronofsky-ish style) but also repetitively illustrated. Too bad, I'm a quite recent rower myself and would have liked to watch a decent movie onVery painful to watch, so I couldn't make it past the third of the movie. The neurosis of the main character is not only heavy-handedly (in a bad Aronofsky-ish style) but also repetitively illustrated. Too bad, I'm a quite recent rower myself and would have liked to watch a decent movie on the topic. This one is definitely not one of them...… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

ellingston

Dec 24, 2021

I'm a lifelong competitive rower and I'll be honest, I found this movie a bit dull. She's extracted all the negative parts of rowing and focused entirely on those, leaving out all the joy of rowing. The the movie seems to focus on erg training more than actual rowing. I also found theI'm a lifelong competitive rower and I'll be honest, I found this movie a bit dull. She's extracted all the negative parts of rowing and focused entirely on those, leaving out all the joy of rowing. The the movie seems to focus on erg training more than actual rowing. I also found the soundtrack ridiculous - you've got horror-movie strings for all the tense moments, then some anachronistic 50's kitsch for the actual erg pieces. Doesn't jibe with my experience at all. If you want to check out an utterly amazing rowing movie watch "Losing Sight of Shore" about four Englishwomen who row across the Pacific Ocean. Each one has her own cellphone camera and the boat is only about 30 feet long so the footage is intimate and at times, incredibly painful to watch - in other words, a true film about Rowing.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

SEE ALL 5 REVIEWS