Set in Pittsburgh in the early 1990s, “The Gymnast” follows a young athlete who, after a life-changing accident, loses her identity — much like her city. But director Charlotte Glynn, who also grew up there, found contemporary parallels in the story.
“Mass amounts of people were leaving Pittsburgh and looking for work. Entire towns became ghost towns,” she recalls, describing the aftermath of the steel crisis in the 1980s.
“Thousands were laid off, and the ramifications of industrialization can be connected to the current moment the U.S.: all this fascism. It’s not that fantastical to draw a connection between the decimation of these communities and the rise of people turning on their neighbors.”
She adds: “The best ‘period pieces’ are really mirroring what’s happening now.”
Despite personal elements, Glynn wanted to address “larger questions” in the film: “Things that are outside my own personal angst. You want to take your experience and turn it into something others can engage with.”
Her protagonist, 16-year-old Monica (Britney Wheeler), dreams of competing in the Olympics. Instead, an accident forces her to rethink her entire future.
Ricky Tollman and Luke Spears produced the film — premiering in Rotterdam’s Tiger Competition — while Visit Films handles sales.
“I had a dear friend who was a gymnast when we were teenagers. I watched her go through a similar experience. Your life can change just like that,” she says.
“Disability is something I’ve explored in my previous films — my sister has an intellectual disability — and deep into making ‘The Gymnast,’ I realized it’s not just a sports movie. It talks about how we can lose something physical that we had been taking for granted.”
Subverting the genre, she thought of films like Chloé Zhao’s “The Rider” and “The Wrestler,” also depicting former athletes dealing with injuries or age.
“It feels like ‘The Gymnast’ is within this tradition. But that identity is still part of who Monica is. My friend, who inspired me, knew her floor routine even at age 30. I wondered: What does it mean to live your whole life being connected to something like this?”
Wheeler, an athlete herself, had been involved with the film for a long time.
“We started casting before the pandemic, so I met her when she was 12. She had an incredible ability to just be present. We didn’t shoot until four years later, so ultimately, I made the character older.”
Ethan Embry joined the cast as Monica’s irresponsible yet loving dad, Rich, who’s drifting – also because his generation, unlike their parents, is unable to find stable jobs in the steel mills.
“Do you think we’re easier on fathers than we are on mothers?” wonders Glynn.
“I wasn’t interested in hating any of the characters, but I’ve noticed people empathize with him just because he’s ‘trying.’ Even though he’s unable to see things that are right in front of him,” she said.
“Ethan brought so much vulnerability [to the role] but also, he was a child actor. I wanted to make sure I was casting someone who would be comfortable working with a young person who had never been on set before.”
As Monica’s injury forces her out of her punishing schedule and well-established routines, she starts experimenting.
“ She’s suddenly isolated because of the injury and she’s searching for connection. I really wanted to explore her rebellion and the excitement of, say, drinking in the park,” says Glynn.
“For me, high school sucked. It’s such a complicated time and you’re trying to figure out who you are. But you’re also open to all these new experiences. When she’s running away from the cops, it feels as exciting as when she was still competing.”
Her transformation won’t be easy, however.
“Being a teenager is really complicated; being a teenage girl is really complicated. You are fighting against the odds, but there’s also… this thrill. When I was younger, all I wanted to do was to get out of Pittsburgh, so I was looking for adventures until I could finally leave. And then I did.”
Now, after “The Gymnast,” Glynn is excited to finally let go of her past.
“I was just in Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving, and it was such an incredible feeling. I’ve spent 20 years there, and now it’s as if they’ve lifted off of me. I can go and continue to make other movies now. And tell other stories.”
