“Foxcatcher” is a real-life inspired (“Frost/Nixon” rather than “Fargo” style) sports film about the simple and malleable wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum), who is trying to step out of the shadow of his talented, loving and emotionally more intelligent brother David Schultz (Mark Ruffalo). The age-old brotherly tug-of-war story is spiced up with the emergence of the enigmatic eccentric millionaire John du Pont (Steve Carell) who is looking for acknowledgment and friendship which he has never had the honour to experience. Regardless of the fact that the film takes place on the wrestling mats and circles, one shouldn’t expect the worn-out “grand dream-setbacks-sweaty training collage-sweet taste of victory” formula, which can often be found in the lazier examples of this genre. Wrestling serves as a befitting backdrop to masterfully executed examples of male relationships which lead to an utterly different conclusion from a hard-earned and shiny medal.

The greatest achievement of “Foxcatcher” is its extraordinary visual expressiveness. Dialogue is scarce and all emotional nuances are hidden behind the beauty of movement and the magic of glimpses which are all very carefully captured. One of the most memorable scenes is the wrestling scene between the two brothers at the very beginning of the film where the tenderness and brutality of close male relationships is played out on the wrestling mat. The scene starts with warm-up exercises which resemble cuddles and which gradually deform into more abrupt manoeuvres. David’s bloody nose is wiped into the sleeve of his bright white t-shirt and the training session goes on, scarlet letter on the shoulder reminding the viewers of what just happened. This masculine fight dance embodies the cornerstones of the brothers’ relationship – love, jealousy and ambition which are often indistinguishable from each other. This kind of visual expressiveness offers a unique glimpse into the male mind without pointing any fingers or preaching the truth.

The Uffizi Wrestlers

The aforementioned visual expressiveness is able to rise to the front because “Foxcatcher” is a carefully thought-out and precise film. Different parts of the film chime well together and perfect each other. The words which are uttered are few in number but each and every one of them achieves its aim. For example, the laconic sentence “He is my mentor” which is extorted from David carries a whole roomful of meanings larger than the sum of these words. The cherry on top is of course the performances. At first, it’s hard to find Steve Carrell behind the humongous fake nose and pallid complexion but fortunately he does not let himself rest on the laurels of makeup artists in his representation of the strange eccentric. The constant subtle gap between his lips, upright chin and very carefully timed strange pauses in conversation which last for a fraction of a second longer than usual add an ominous tinge to John du Pont’s everyday conversations and endless patriotic blabber.