Unlike many sports dramas where the protagonist faces an external rival or an abusive coach, Alex Dall’s primary antagonist is her own subconscious.
The Architecture of Obsession: A Study of The Novice (2021) Lauren Hadaway’s directorial debut, (2021), is a visceral 94-minute psychological drama that strips away the inspirational veneer of the traditional sports film to reveal a harrowing portrait of "Type-A" obsession. Inspired by Hadaway’s own experience as a collegiate rower, the film centers on Alex Dall (Isabelle Fuhrman), a queer college freshman who joins her university's novice rowing program not out of a love for the sport, but out of a pathological need to conquer the most difficult challenges she can find. The Internal Antagonist