The Game Changers

A martial arts trainer is injured and starts researching nutrition while recovering. What he finds surprises him: there is a considerable literature on athletes who do not eat meat. The documentary follows him around the world talking to competitors who train without it. The subject is not health but unpicking the cultural link between masculinity and meat. The film has clearly chosen its audience: men in strength sports. That is why every example is a weightlifter, a fighter or a footballer. The form is advocacy. A thesis is advanced and every scene supports it; opposing views get almost no room. In one experiment blood is drawn and three players' plasma compared after a meal, and that is the film's most memorable image. Behind the production is an unusual list of names: James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Lewis Hamilton and Novak Djokovic are among the executive producers. Louie Psihoyos directs, having previously won an Oscar for The Cove. Who it is for: viewers curious about the nutrition argument or looking for examples on athletic performance. Who it is not for: anyone expecting balance; the film is a brief for one side and does not pretend otherwise.