QUICK AND DIRTY: LIVE TALLIN

Six subjects have decided to take ice skating up because it is a noble profession. As it happens, this sextet are all advancing in years, which makes this flirtation in sport all the more noteworthy. For the group, “time is of the essence” if they are to explore this passion in all of its glory, and one by one, take to the rink like ducks to water. Each of them is different, but the passion for sport is evident.

Iced Age boasts genuine charm and warmth throughout the feature. One of the skaters, Toos van Urk, embodies the spirit of Mata Hari, draping herself in the golden textures of her idol. Approaching 80, van Urk takes comfort from the exotic dancer, another woman who was thought to be too old to pursue her biggest passion. Another, Roland Suckale, is depicted practicing twirls in a colourful, choreograhic fashion, sharpening his blades off the crystalline rink beneath his feet.

Instructions are delivered in different languages (“very good”, “sehr gut”..), but every skater faces his or her challenge with equal purpose. Bathetically, luminary Elena Rickmann introduces herself in Disney gear, before wowing her – admittedly ageing – audience with an athletic prowess of a younger woman. Behind the speakers, strings and brass burst out, as pomp and pop enter the arena with gladiatorial aplomb. Clearly, ice skating holds a creative outlet for the viewers, who are engaging with every part of their being.

Ice Aged boasts some of the most idyllic skating montages since My Sunshine (Hiroshi Okuyama, 2024), but there’s an added element of pathos considering the age of the participants in this documentary. Sadly, director Alexandra Sell keeps it surface level, and one senses they could really prod details of a more sustainable, melancholic nature if needed. The people in question keep it light and frothy, making it fit for a family viewership.

By taking on the challenges of skating, the characters need to embrace new forms of education, including different technological methods which help them further their skillset. Suckale watches videos of model skaters on an iPad, studying the nuances, twists and turns that elevates a skater into a formidable artist. His eyes light up, as impressed with the screen as he is the athletes behind it. “I’m left-handed,” one observes, “but skate as if right-handed.” This isn’t the type of observation that will win an Oscar, but it is infectious enough to entertain audience members searching for something more educational on a Saturday night. The camera zooms in and out, panning across the athletes decorating the arena; becoming an additional character in the process. Rickmann discovers something of an inner child in her when she puts on boots made for children, sparking a light that lay dormant for too long.

Sell doesn’t veer too far into the realm of psychoanalysis, which is why it suffers in comparison to more intellectually refined material a la My Sunshine, but the people onscreen are never anything less than engaging. Sensing an urgent finale is needed, Sell spends the last section of the documentary focused on the ice arena. Lost in the moment, the skaters can be found marrying their minds to their bodies: a triumph of brain and brawn. For the first time in the feature, their age or status in life seems less important than the activity at hand.

For in this moment, these aren’t ageing athletes, but people enjoying the beauty of their sport.

Ice Aged premiered in the brand new Doc@PÖFF Competition at the 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.