Documentary Reflection: Icarus
Guided Reflection
1. Was there a specific scene that got to you? Describe and explain how it moved you (Angry? Curious? Delighted? Motivated?). Give a lot of detail, and really dive in to how it affected you. Don’t hold back.
The scene that got to me was when Rodchenkov told his wife he was going into the Witness Protection Program. Rodchenkov had been involved in helping Russian athletes cheat in the Olympics, and was now a whistleblower, exposing the Russian government-backed doping in many Olympic games. Due to his decision to expose what was really occurring, Rodchenkov knew that his life was in danger, therefore making Witness Protection necessary. His wife knew this too, however I'm sure neither of them were prepared to possibly never see each other again. This scene affected me so much because I tried putting myself in Rodchenkov's place, and imagined leaving my wife and children behind, perhaps for good. Seeing the tears on Rodchenkov's glasses in this scene really showed how much this affected him, because throughout the documentary he seemed to be a calm and generally happy man, despite all of the madness happening in his life.
2. What surprised you? Why do you think it caught you off guard?
I was most surprised about how quickly the film took a turn from being an experiment to see how much doping helps athletes, to being focused on Rodchenkov's escape from the Russian government while he exposes them for their state-sponsored doping. I think that caught me off guard because there was seemingly no hinting towards this dark turn in the film, or in the descriptions I had previously read. I think it's a good thing that this caught me off guard, because it means I was able to go into this film without having it spoiled beforehand.
3. What questions remain after the viewing? What feelings stayed with you after the film? Did they “pop up” in your life in unexpected ways? When? How? What was that like?
Was Bryan Fogel originally just a client of Rodchenkov's? Why did Bryan willingly help Rodchenkov escape Russia, knowing his life could potentially be put in danger as well? Did Bryan have a key role in exposing Russia for cheating, or would much of that information have gotten out anyways? I don't feel much different after watching this film, especially because I have previously heard rumors about many athletes who perform at the highest level all use performance enhancing drugs. It's not a massive surprise to me that Russia would also take part in cheating. However, I do feel somewhat anxious for Rodchenkov, out of fear that he could be found, despite being in the Witness Protection Program.
4. Why might we avoid including research in our summaries? What could go wrong?
It is a good idea to avoid including research in summaries because of what a summary is. Summaries are simply meant to restate, in a condensed form, what major events occurred in the text or film, as they were experienced by you. By researching, not only are you looking to outside sources to restate what events occurred, but you are reading their experiences, not your own. By researching, you are introducing other's opinions into your own summary.
Icarus was a documentary that I was interested in watching when it initially released, however, I never got to it. Reading your reflection over it makes me want to watch it even more! Your reflection is well put together, and hearing your input was something I enjoyed doing. You raise a good question that can lead to many different answers, and is open ended in a way.
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