A brutal tale of child sex abuse

Rating: 4/5

Directors: Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk

Available on Netflix

In a cryptic tweet early this week, popular Indian comedian Vir Das said “This is truly the golden age of documentaries.” What prompted the rib-tickler to put out such a profound tweet still has his vast legion of fans scratching their heads but one thing is certain, he wasn’t joking at all. Thanks to the booming OTT platforms, this indeed has been the golden age of documentaries with several of them receiving global appreciation.

Joining that list is “Athlete A”, which follows a team of investigative journalists from The Indianapolis Star who broke the sensational story of the disgraced Larry Nassar. Their tireless reportage resulted in Nassar being convicted of sexually assaulting over 250 young female gymnasts while he was the team doctor for USA Gymnastics.

The heart-rending film, which shows how morally bankrupt USA Gymnastics is and how it turned a blind eye to nearly three decades of systematic abuse (physical, mental and sexual), opens with Maggie Nichols narrating her struggles.

Nichols was among the first gymnasts to complain about Nassar’s predatory behaviour. Instead of taking action against the paedophile, USA Gymnastics, particularly its then president Steve Penny, orchestrate a cover-up that eventually sees Nichols missing out on a berth for the Rio Olympics and being abandoned for her courage.

While the American team, led by Simone Biles, are about to run riot at the Rio Olympics in 2016, The Indianapolis Star come out with a story about USA Gymnastics' lax policies that seemingly shielded predators who abused child athletes. This prompts investigative reporters Marisa Kwiatkowski, Mark Alesia and Tim Evans, under the guidance of editor Steve Beta, to dig deeper into the matter. They end up discovering an unholy mess that shakes up the vibrant American sporting fraternity. Their wonderful work also sees them receive global appreciation.

Very often, women who are abused at workplaces, struggle to come out in the open for fear of stigma. And when they gather up the courage and expose the perverts, insults are thrown at them with the question “Why now but not then”. Their credibility is debated. This documentary explains in detail why it’s so hard for unsuspecting young girls to report offenders like Nassar when the whole system is against them.

Rachael Denhollander, Jessica Howard and 2000 Olympian Jamie Dantzscher, all who decide enough is enough and want to protect the next girl from being abused, are subjected to severe criticism on social media. Despite this, they soldier on and their testimonies and some excellent reportage from The Indianapolis Star force authorities to crack the whip and investigate Nassar seriously.

Directors Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk explain in detail about everything that’s wrong with USA Gymnastics and the ordeal aspiring young girls had to go through. Some of them are so mentally scarred, they still can’t get over it despite settling down with families. Some even cry while recalling their tragic tales. Having said that, the documentary is not too melodramatic either.

While the main focus of the documentary is to highlight Nassar’s criminal acts and the administration overlooking them for the sake of brand image, 'Athlete A' also showcases the brutal side of sports. Behind all those medals, fame, fortune and glory, lie pain, sorrow and unheard cries. The kind of torture many kids undergo at training camps is at times inhuman.

In a bid to topple the Eastern European domination, USA Gymnastics rope in the famous Karolyi couple – Bela and Marta – who had defected to the west right after the 1976 Olympics. The couple use the same gruelling military-like training regiment that bought them success back home in Romania. USA, seeking supremacy, give the couple a free hand and they end up acting with impunity.

They see kids as mere props to attain success and often subject them to severe emotional and physical abuses. The kids are not allowed any sort of communication to the outside world and sometimes forced to compete even while injured.

This is where Nassar exploits them. Aware the kids need a comforting shoulder, he lures them by placing candies under their pillows and sweet talks them before groping them unsuspectingly.

The narration, graphic at times, of the ordeal from some of the athletes, is quite emotional. Systematic abuse has been happening in sports for a long time. A lone voice here or there is often quelled down by power-hungry image-conscious administrators. But when the voices get together, they can generate a loud noise which may be difficult to silence.

'Athlete A' is about that ‘A’ voice which ended up becoming ‘The’ voice to end decades of pain and torture the girls faced in USA Gymnastics. Watch it to get an insight on the brutal side of sports.