Brothers wrestle with real-life drama
Photos courtesy of Sahamongkol Film International
Did you know
Bennett Miller won the Best Director Award at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival for Foxcatcher.
Directed by Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher is a new American drama movie based on a true story.
Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) is struggling in obscurity and poverty in Wisconsin when he is invited by wealthy heir John du Pont (Steve Carell) to move on to his lavish estate and form a team to train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Schultz seizes the opportunity, eager to step out of the shadow of his revered older brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo), also a wrestling coach and Gold Medal winner.
With his vast financial resources and state of the art training facility at Foxcatcher Farm, du Pont appoints himself head coach of the team, eager to win the respect of his peers and the approval of his mother (Vanessa Redgrave).
The dynamic between Mark and du Pont deepens as Mark embraces his benefactor as a father figure. But du Pont’s mercurial personality and psychological games begin to weigh heavily on Mark’s self-esteem, undermining his abilities on the mat.
When du Pont’s favouritism shifts to brother Dave, the trio is propelled towards a tragedy that nobody could have foreseen.
Find out what happens when Foxcatcher opens in local cinemas on January 8.
Vocabulary
- fox (v): to trick or confuse somebody
heir (n): a person who has the legal right to receive somebody’s property, money or title when that person dies
lavish (adj): large or impressive and usually costing a lot of money
revere (v): to feel great respect or admiration for somebody
state of the art (adj): using the most modern or advanced techniques or methods
benefactor (n): a person who gives money or other help to a person or an organisation such as a school or a charity
mercurial (adj): often changing or reacting in a way that is unexpected
self-esteem (n): a feeling of being happy with your own character and abilities
