Cert 12A
104 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language, sex and suicide references, wound detail
So, what do you do when delayed waiting for a Eurotunnel train or in a giant traffic jam at the French-Belgian border?
You turn to a documentary which proves that dedication prevails even in the face of extreme adversity.
If Graeme Obree had faced the hiccups that we did on our first leg of our European road trip, he would have shrugged them off.
Well, he might have done if he had not spun into one of his desperate depressions or had any more fall-out from vascular surgery.
Obree overcame both to have a crack at the world record for a human powered vehicle which, by the way, he had designed in his kitchen.
The kitchen in Obree's home is not a place where any food should be cooked or consumed. Instead, it is where he built Old Faithful, a bike which he rode to world record and world championships in the 1990s.
Nowadays, it has been the birthplace for The Beastie, a bizarre contraption on which Obree lies prone and somehow contrives to peddle it to more than 50 miles per hour.
University experts have helped build a plastic casing in which Obree is confined and means he can barely breathe but makes the Beastie more aero-dynamic.
Obree is a fascinating character and slices of his life story accompany the chronology of his world record attempt on The Beastie during Dave Street's Battle Mountain.
He is frank about his fight with terrible depression which has led to suicide attempts including one in which he says he died. He is also honest about being told that he has the emotional development of a "12 to 13-year-old."
The combination leads to him continually pushing the boundaries of his abilities and being perpetually dissatisfied with himself.
But his battle against all odds makes him a fascinating subject who inspires and delights followers and fans.
Others in the traffic jam must have wondered why the crazy British car passenger was cheering at his ipad as Obree's Beastie took on Battle Mountain. I just couldn't help it.
Reasons to watch: a fascinating story of an obsessive
Reasons to avoid: brief graphic medical scenes
Laughs: a couple of chuckles
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Star tweet
Graeme Obree Thx you all for your support @BattleMountFilm is no5 in Top Film/Doc sect on iTunes. Please share with your friends:
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