The Climb

Institute History

Description

Upon winning the Coup de Coeur prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, The Climb went on to delight audiences in Telluride and Toronto.

Kyle is getting married. In France. To a French girl. He and his best friend (and best man), Mike, embark on a bike ride, traversing a twisting road in the South of France. Physically unable to keep the ascending pace, Kyle is a sweaty mess. More experienced cyclist Mike encourages his pal until, out of nowhere, he reveals that he slept with Kyle’s fiancée.

Shot in one long take, the confession and resulting exchange are akin to the ups and downs of the mountainous road—invigorating and painful at the same time. Throughout The Climb, their damaged bond is chronicled in course-altering segments as they navigate the ins and outs of a codependent male relationship. Based on the short film of the same name (2018 Sundance Film Festival), director Michael Angelo Covino and co-writer Kyle Marvin utilize ingeniously self-aware dialogue to detail the chaos of fractured friendships and family life.

Closed captioning and audio description are available for this film.

— A.M.

Screening Details

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