Cloud 9

A film for young viewers built on snowboarding. Kayla is a good snowboarder on a well known team. She skips training, trusts herself too much, and when a competition does not go her way she is dropped from the team. Will was once the best on that team. He had a bad fall on an attempt and has not gone up the mountain since; he works at his father's resort and talks to nobody about it. Kayla asks him to coach her. He refuses, then agrees. The training sections are the main body of the film: basic stance, balance, dealing with fear and repeating a single move over and over. The target is the big competition at the end of the season. What the film is interested in is not the race but each of them getting past their own block: one her lack of discipline, the other his fear. The snow scenes were shot on real slopes and some of the jumps were done by professional athletes. Dove Cameron plays Kayla and Luke Benward plays Will. Paul Hoen directed. It was made for a television channel. A suitable choice for anyone who likes sports films aimed at younger viewers. For a viewer expecting an adult narrative, the film is built for its audience and the conflicts stay light.