At first glance Naomi Kutin is just another 11-year-old girl. She lives with her parents and her brother in New Jersey, goes to school and spends most of her time glued to her smart phone. Even her hobby, which is weightlifting, wouldn’t be a big deal except for the fact that at her young age she has already beaten the world record in her weight category, lifting almost three times as much as she weighs. The American media took an interest in her at once, dubbing her “Supergirl.” Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Jessie Auritt looks at Naomi’s everyday life with a lot of empathy—from the punishing training sessions overseen by her father (a retired weightlifter) to the strict religious rules she is subjected to on a daily basis by her Jewish Orthodox family. The issue of parents transferring their unfulfilled ambitions onto their children comes up in many areas of life, but it’s particularly conspicuous in sports. There’s even a special term for it: “Crazy Parents’ Committee,” which shows how love can be just one step away from fanaticism. Auritt’s film is on the one hand a touching coming-of-age movie, and on the other a story of success intercut with failure, unhealthy ambition and the potential negative consequences (including health-related ones) of going out for professional sports.
Jessie Auritt
Carmen Delaney
Eliot Krimsky, Derek Nievergelt
Naomi Kutin, Ed Kutin, Neshama Kutin, Ari Kutin