The producers of “Marathon of the Sands” might want you to believe that you are watching a documentary, but in reality they have given you a glorified sports video. It’s a shame, because they waste a perfectly good opportunity to take us inside the minds and motivations of people who would run a seven-day, 148-mile marathon across the Sahara Desert in Morocco.
The film certainly has a strong hook, one that almost immediately makes one ask why anyone would want to participate in such a grueling event. Sadly, though, it barely scratches the surface of this fundamental question. Even worse, it provides very little background on the runners it follows, choosing instead to bombard the viewer with the type of somber, melodramatic narration you can watch for free before an NBA playoff game. As a result, we spend 50 minutes watching people running across the desert.
The documentary focuses on several competitors: Lahcen Ahansal, the men’s division favorite and previous winner; Laura Smith, the favored U.S. runner; Estienne Arndt, who has an artificial leg; and Geoffrey and Carol Hilton-Barber, he’s blind, she’s running with him. Such an eclectic group prompts a sea of questions: What is Ahansal trying to prove by running a race he already has won? What drives someone like Arndt to run this particular race? Same question for Hilton-Barber. But, to the viewer’s aggravation, these questions are never answered.
Instead, the producers try like crazy to intrigue the view with constant reminders of the pain and agony the runners endure. Say that as much as you want, but if a viewer doesn’t know a lot about these people, they are not liable to have much emotional investment in them.
It would have been so easy. A picture-in-picture setup showing the runner in competition while simultaneously offering his/her insight into some of these questions would have provided real punch and insight to this film. Truthfully, 50 minutes of people running through the desert gets tedious after a while. Though it does offer some interesting details on the rules of the race, “Marathon” cannot compensate for its utter lack of human interest.
“Marathon” is available Tuesday for $20. To obtain a copy, or to get more information, contact First Run Features at 1-800-229-8575 or visit www.firstrunfeatures.com.
