''The Gymnast'' is a 2006 film directed by Ned Farr and starring

Dreya Weber Dreya Weber is an American actress, producer, director, and aerialist. Career Weber toured with Cher during her '' Living Proof'' farewell tour and choreographed the performances by aerialists. She produced and starred in '' The Gymnast'' ...

, Addie Yungmee, and David De Simone. It received a sequel called ''The Aerialist'' released in 2020.

Plot

Jane Hawkins (Dreya Weber) was once an

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

whose career was ended by a devastating injury. Now in her 40s, she is in a loveless and childless marriage to her husband David (David de Simone) and works as a

massage therapist Massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In Eu ...

, while still exercising religiously to keep herself in peak condition. After a chance meeting with a former friend from the gymnastics world, Denise (Allison Mackie), Jane takes an interest in

aerial dance Aerial modern dance is a subgenre of modern dance first recognized in the United States in the 1970s. The choreography incorporates an apparatus that is often attached to the ceiling, allowing performers to explore space in three dimensions. ...

and begins lessons with gymnastics trainer Nicole (Mam Smith). During her lessons, Jane meets Serena (Addie Yungmee), a

Korean-American Korean Americans are Americans of Korean ancestry (mostly from South Korea). In 2015, the Korean-American community constituted about 0.56% of the United States population, or about 1.82 million people, and was the fifth-largest Asian Americans ...

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

r who grew up in a

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

ish adoptive family, and is a

closeted ''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and other (LGBTQ+) people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and human ...

(at least with respect to her parents)

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

. Serena, Nicole and Jane begin to work together on a

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

style aerial act, which Nicole hopes to present in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. However, Nicole is forced to drop out for family reasons. As Jane and Serena continue to work together on the act, they develop an increasingly romantic relationship. Jane finds herself torn between her growing love for Serena, and the potential for a rekindled relationship with her husband who now wants a child. Jane's husband finds out about the attraction between the two women, and Jane packs her bags and leaves. The movie ends with Jane driving to Las Vegas, where Serena is.

Cast

as Jane * Addie Yungmee as Serena * David De Simone as David * Allison Mackie as Denise * Mam Smith as Nicole * Tony Horton as Chad

Critical reception

The Gymnast won both the Grand Jury Award for 'Outstanding American Narrative Feature' and the Audience Award for 'Outstanding First Narrative Feature' at the 2006 Los Angeles

Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...

film festival. The Gymnast was positively reviewed.

AfterEllen.com AfterEllen (also known as AfterEllen.com) is an American culture website founded in 2002, with a focus on entertainment, interviews, reviews, and news of interest to the lesbian and bisexual women's community. The site covers pop culture and lifes ...

called it “a beautiful, understated film” that “stays true to itself and its characters.”

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

described it as “well acted, well performed” and “surprisingly engrossing despite treading familiar ‘Lifetime Movie’-type female empowerment territory.” In ''Out at the Movies'', Steven Paul Davies said "The Gymnast has been simply one of the best, and most well-received, lesbian-interest movies of recent years." Conversely, in a scholarly analysis, academic Katharina Lindner noted the film's "clichéd story line" acted as "a reinforcement of rather problematic racial and sexual binaries."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gymnast 2006 films 2006 romantic drama films American romantic drama films LGBT-related romantic drama films 2006 LGBT-related films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films