This inspiring documentary centers on the life of Greg Louganis, considered by many to be the greatest diver of all-time, and the only male diver to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in both the springboard and platform diving events (1984-Los Angeles and 1988-Seoul).
However, the film shows the many difficulties and challenges Louganis faced in his life, from a very early age onward. Adopted at eight and a half months, and reared by a loving mother but distant father, Louganis was bullied in school for his darker skin and mild-mannered nature, as well as suffering from dyslexia. Additionally, he became aware of and began to hide the fact from everyone that he was gay.
Apparently all of this was channeled into his incredible drive to be a great diver. Watching many of his dives in the movie, and from my own personal recollection, Louganis' form was indeed sheer perfection and the best I've ever seen.
I won't go into complete details of what followed in his life, but let's just say his involvement with a male partner led to his becoming HIV positive and apparently the loss of a good part of his assets (although it is not specified in detail). The fact that he was rumored to be gay also led to millions of dollars in lost corporate endorsements , despite the fact that he was an Olympic superstar.
In 1995, Louganis courageously announced to the world that he was gay and also HIV positive. Of course, in those years being gay did not receive the acceptance it has in recent years in America. Thus, with erratic income coming in we see he is facing today possible foreclosure on his Malibu home, and has sold many of his diving awards and assets.
However, he's now been asked to mentor the young Olympic athletes that are getting ready to compete in the 2012 London Summer Games. You can easily see the positive effect this has on Louganis, and on the athletes as well, to have someone with his pedigree and quiet demeanor try and help them. Finally, we will see other positive changes taking place in his life, as he moves away from a lot of the unhappiness of the previous decades into a much better place.
Overall, this HBO produced doc, directed by Cheryl Furjanic, was a well presented and well paced film, in my opinion. Louganis' honesty and courage was fully on display here, as well as his incredible diving talent, all detailed in concise interviews and historical footage.
To note: there were no subtitles available on my DVD copy, bu the sound quality was quite good.
However, the film shows the many difficulties and challenges Louganis faced in his life, from a very early age onward. Adopted at eight and a half months, and reared by a loving mother but distant father, Louganis was bullied in school for his darker skin and mild-mannered nature, as well as suffering from dyslexia. Additionally, he became aware of and began to hide the fact from everyone that he was gay.
Apparently all of this was channeled into his incredible drive to be a great diver. Watching many of his dives in the movie, and from my own personal recollection, Louganis' form was indeed sheer perfection and the best I've ever seen.
I won't go into complete details of what followed in his life, but let's just say his involvement with a male partner led to his becoming HIV positive and apparently the loss of a good part of his assets (although it is not specified in detail). The fact that he was rumored to be gay also led to millions of dollars in lost corporate endorsements , despite the fact that he was an Olympic superstar.
In 1995, Louganis courageously announced to the world that he was gay and also HIV positive. Of course, in those years being gay did not receive the acceptance it has in recent years in America. Thus, with erratic income coming in we see he is facing today possible foreclosure on his Malibu home, and has sold many of his diving awards and assets.
However, he's now been asked to mentor the young Olympic athletes that are getting ready to compete in the 2012 London Summer Games. You can easily see the positive effect this has on Louganis, and on the athletes as well, to have someone with his pedigree and quiet demeanor try and help them. Finally, we will see other positive changes taking place in his life, as he moves away from a lot of the unhappiness of the previous decades into a much better place.
Overall, this HBO produced doc, directed by Cheryl Furjanic, was a well presented and well paced film, in my opinion. Louganis' honesty and courage was fully on display here, as well as his incredible diving talent, all detailed in concise interviews and historical footage.
To note: there were no subtitles available on my DVD copy, bu the sound quality was quite good.