Generation Iron

The documentary follows the world of professional bodybuilding. The largest competition of the year is being prepared and the athletes enter their preparation period. Phil Heath holds the title and trains steadily. Kai Greene comes from somewhere else; he makes art, is found strange and resembles nobody. The film follows other names alongside them; some training in rural America, some in Europe. Training, diet, sleep and the period of dehydration before the contest are shown in detail. Vlad Yudin directs. Mickey Rourke narrates. Lou Ferrigno and the athletes of the period appear. The documentary positions itself as a continuation of another bodybuilding film made in the seventies and refers to it openly. The matter it treats is that the sport has not entered the mainstream; the athletes are not known and their earnings limited. The documentary discusses drug use but does not press it; the subject is opened and quickly closed. That choice was criticised on release; the film was said to stand too close to the business. The diet and training sections are its most concrete side. The contest comes at the end and the judging system is described. Its limit is viewpoint; the narrative is partisan and the question of health not sufficiently taken up. Who it is for: anyone curious about bodybuilding and sports documentary. Who it is not for: the critical view is weak, the subject narrow, and the narrative close to promotion.