Hot Docs 2025 - The Track Review

 

Sports docs always come & go - they are among the most popular documentary sub-genres. Geographically, politically, and socially - The Track has an undeniable charm and positive energy that’s infectious. It may not always make the right choices, but its lovable subjects and thoughtful framing are remarkable enough to set it apart. This is a shamelessly Canadian feature - made by a Canadian filmmaker and crew, with funding from Telefilm. However, we are instantly brought along on a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where we end up at a rather dilapidated Luge track. Since the Bosnian war, the infrastructure has been throughly vandalized and punched with bullet holes. We find out that this is one of the world’s 16 tracks of its kind. Here, we meet 3 young sledders and their coaches - who have taken it upon themselves to maintain this track and use it to train. We follow them through their journey to the Olympics as well as their goal to restore the track to its former glory. The filmmakers explore these goals while the subjects comment on and encounter the various sociopolitical barriers that challenge them on the way.

This film, considering its rather intimate nature, has very strong ambition within its craft. It has a booming, grand orchestral score that you’d expect from a multi-million dollar studio movie. It also has very impressive action cinematography, from drone shots over the track amidst training to GoPro footage from the boys as they sled. The craft team is doing everything in their power to make this feel like an epic. It’s always sincere, and even when it’s reaching excess, it assists in making it all feel more exhilarating. It helps that these boys and their challenges are presented in a deeply empathetic and relatable way. It really does have all the ingredients for the perfectly concocted crowdpleaser. 

The film desires to cover a rather bold amount of ground. Topics the film covers beyond the sport itself include racism in sports at this scale, the effects of the Bosnian war on the countries’ Gen-Z residents, the underfunding of sports facilities in Bosnia - and that’s just the beginning. The film gets a bit messy in its attempt to be all that within this larger framework of a sports movie, and it drifts off in places more than it should. But you can’t deny it’s crowd pleasing charm - such a sweet story.

Rating: 7/10

Hot Docs 2025 runs until May 4th. Tickets can be purchased at hotdocs.ca