Chapter 114: Absolute Madman

Following the standing ovation from the audience in the theatre, the initial end credits only lasted two minutes before the screen lit up once more for one last scene.

The Epilogue.

-

Elias looked notably older, perhaps by three to five years, as he cleared his table.

Yet, there was a general air about him that seemed content with his existence.

The camera slowly panned across a familiar office, a shinier gold medal hanging on the wall alongside several others, indicating that he had won his bracket of the exhibition championship years ago.

Then there were couple magazine covers and pages pinned to a pinboard on the wall... all of it praising Noah Bennet as a fan favorite, and not just explicitly a gold Olympic medalist.

Soon, the camera panned back to Elias whom had already made his way out the door with a more pronounced limp that was very dependent on his cane.

-

As Brendan, Cameron and everyone else in the theatre watched with genuine interest, the scene seamlessly phased into another as the door closed.

-

Elias soon arrived at the rink below, several individuals calling to him with smiles on their faces;

"Coach!"

"Coach Mercer!"

"Morning, Coach!"

Reciprocating their greetings, a light smile on his features, he soon noticed their newest addition to the rink.

A little girl, no older than seven. She was nervously holding the barrier, her gaze reflecting an expression Elias was all too familiar with.

So, he walked up to her and lowered slowly to a knee with a mild wince, then said;

"It’s okay. You don’t have to be afraid."

"Falling is a part of the process," he held onto her hand, then stabilized her movement as he said with the warmest of smiles;

"But as long as you always get back up, you’ll be golden. Trust me."

Then, he let go, and the young girl nodded in the affirmative as she steadied herself on her skates, her expression notably less nervous.

Then, with a deep breath, she stepped onto the ice, gently pushed forward, and amateurishly glided off.

Immediately after, the scene cut to black.

-

Yet again, another round of applause followed, everyone feeling thoroughly satisfied as the final credits rolled.

Brendan especially, found himself feeling genuinely at peace with himself... and at the same time, he was really itching to get back onto the ice.

Not because he wanted to perfect something, but because he genuinely wanted to enjoy the craft.

He honestly couldn’t believe that he had been so far gone down a rabbit hole of his own making, he’d forgotten how fun it was to simply skate for the love of it.

The very reason he ever decided to even begin figure skating in the first place.

In any case, he alongside several others soon began shuffling out of the theatre a couple minutes after.

Some people hung around, staring intently in wait for the name of the music they’d heard in the last scene of the movie, while others simply preferred to have the initial crowd leave before they headed out.

Brendan would’ve been in the latter group if not for how giddy he was feeling.

The indoor center he practiced at--the very same Niall had practiced at--usually opened a bit late into the night in recent memory.

It also happened to be close to their new home, hence why he wanted to see if he could get a few minutes in on the ice.

However, somewhere along the line as he was navigating through the crowd, a hand had found his, right as he stepped out the door.

Unsurprisingly, it was Cameron’s, the lady letting out a relieved breath as she managed to halt him in his steps.

Before Brendan could manage to ask why she’d done that, she spoke;

"I just wanted to say thank you, again. For giving me the ticket. It really made my night."

"Sure... you’re welcome." Brendan glanced at his hand briefly and the lady took the hint, her hand unwrapping around his with a sheepish smile.

"I’ll uh... I’ll see you around." she then said, a natural smile returning to her face.

Once again, Brendan gave her a curt, respectful nod, obviously not giving her words much thought as he made his way to the nearest train station.

Yet, as both teens parted ways, sterling reviews of the movie itself had already began flooding the internet.

-

Starlight Magazine

100/100

"There are dozens of movies about athletes getting one last shot. Very few understand that the real victory isn’t getting another chance, but rather, finding out why you wanted one in the first place."

Murray’s perfectionism behind the camera has never felt more purposeful. Every shot is deliberate, every skating sequence carries emotional weight, and even the film’s quiet moments speak just as loudly as an intricately layered philosophy would.

But exceptional direction requires exceptional performers, and [Rink] boasts four acting powerhouses who mesh together beautifully.

Matthew Connery is phenomenal as Elias Mercer, embodying his bitterness, regret and buried vulnerability with remarkable restraint.

Colonel brings equal brilliance to Howard, giving Elias’ former coach warmth, sternness and genuine concern that makes their relationship feel wonderfully lived-in.

Louis is equally superb as Titus Burn, refusing to reduce Elias’ former rival to a villain and instead revealing a selfish but nonetheless charismatic man quietly questioning whether his greatest victory was ever truly his.

Then comes Niall Parker.

As Noah Bennett, Parker doesn’t merely hold his own against three seasoned performers, in so much as he completely meets them at their level and even almost outshines them.

His infectious energy and emotional intelligence make Noah far more than a prodigy, while his chemistry with Connery becomes one of the film’s greatest strengths.

Together, they make [Rink] an unforgettable watch.

-

The Los Angeles Chronicle

★★★★ (4.5/5)

"A film about figure skating that somehow becomes a film about what it means to be seen."

There is remarkable discipline behind Murray’s direction, and the ice becomes a canvas upon which years of fear and self-loathing are gradually exposed for one Elias Mercer.

Yet, the film never allows his injury to become a convenient plot device. His leg hurts. It continues to hurt. And every jump carries the uncomfortable possibility that he may be doing irreversible damage to himself.

Then Matthew Connery comes along and plays this man with an extraordinary aplomb, resisting every opportunity to turn his character’s suffering into a melodrama.

Yet it is Niall Parker’s Noah Bennet who ultimately provides the film with its soul.

Their relationship is not one of mentor and student, so much as two completely different philosophies of life gradually colliding.

Elias believes people remember your failures, while Noah believes people remember that you got back up and their respective actor’s performances complement each other magnificently.

So much that by the final act, we understand that both men are talking about life, far more than they are about skating.

-

CinemaScope

A+

"A magnificent sports drama about the impossibility of outrunning the person you used to be."

One of the things that really makes [Rink] so special, is that there are no easy villains.

Not even Titus Burn, whose presence initially suggests the familiar bitter-rival archetype, escapes Murray’s more nuanced treatment.

That thematic complexity elevates [Rink] far beyond its genre.

This is not a film about reclaiming a championship. Rather, it’s a film about reclaiming ownership of one’s own story.

And in that respect, Murray has made something genuinely special.

-

Naturally, more and more articles continued to flood the internet regarding the movie, which was par for the course whenever Murray was involved.

That said, roughly an hour later, Brendan hadn’t just reached the skating center. He had also managed to get in twenty minutes of skating and had promptly arrived home just after.

Greeting his parents whom were already in, the middle-aged couple soon asked of their son how his second experience at a movie theatre went and if he got them the Blu-ray disc like they’d asked.

Naturally, Brendan handed it over to them and both individuals decided there and then, that they would watch the movie too.

Afterall, tomorrow was a weekend so they could afford to sleep in.

Brendan would’ve proceeded to head to bed had he not heard that.

Though he’d watched the movie just an hour ago, he loved his time with it so much, he figured a second viewing was already in order.

And so, he sat with his parents in their now modest living room, watching with an excitement that may have paled in comparison to what he’d previously had going into the movie blind, but was still afire nonetheless.

Two hours later, late into the night, his parents were praising the movie as well, both having thoroughly enjoyed it.

However, there was something new that shocked Brendan and put things into perspective for him.

You see, Murray was a very old school director.

A director whom had adapted with the times, but had still managed to keep the things he felt made older movies far more memorable than newer givings in the industry.

Bloopers and behind the scene cuts.

One he happened to ensure that anyone who had purchased a physical copy of [Rink], had access to.

It was also why Brendan was starting to realize that although he might’ve been instinctively aware than Niall did most of his stunts, other people weren’t.

But when he saw the first scene in the movie where Noah’s character was introduced, with Niall actually taking the fall, and his last performance where he actually performed the backflip, his mouth hung agape.

Because somewhere along the line, even he had thought; That’s definitely a stunt double.

Now that he was seeing it with his very own eyes though... he knew one thing for sure.

Fans of Niall were probably losing their minds on the internet right now!

True to his thoughts, that really was the case, several threads already populating several social media platforms at the absolute madman their favorite artist was turning out to be!

Advance Chapters are available on Patreon!

/Caer07