The Weight of Gold

The Weight of Gold is an intimate and emotional documentary released in 2020 featuring not just avid sports enthusiasts, but also the general public, as it delves deep into the mental health challenges that Olympians face. It features prominent sports figures Jeremy Bloom, David Boudia, Sasha Cohen, and more. The film, narrated by Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, reveals the darker side of representing your country at the pinnacle of athletic competition.

The documentary focuses on the stories of several Olympian athletes, both from Summer and Winter games. Among the athletes participating in the film alongside Jeremy Bloom, David Boudia, and Sasha Cohen are snowboarder Shaun White, speed skater Apolo Ohno, skier Bode Miller, and figure skater Gracie Gold. These athletes are, without a doubt, part of the crème de la crème of competitive and professional sports.

Unpacking the sheen of gold medals and glory, The Weight of Gold raises awareness about the mental health problems that far too many athletes suffer, often in silence. The underlying focus of the documentary is on the emphasis on winning, the struggle to secure funding, the rigorous training schedules, and the intense pressure which become incompatible with mental health. It goes into great depth in unspooling the not-so-glamorous side of the sports world that lies beneath the eulogy of medals and adoration of fans.

Jeremy Bloom, an athlete with an incredible career in both freestyle skiing and football, recounts his experience in this documentary. Similarly David Boudia, an American diver and Olympic gold medalist, and Sasha Cohen, a silver medal-winning figure skater, share their personal journeys. Their accounts are poignant and intimate, providing human faces to the heartbreaking statistics about mental health within the professional athletic community.

The film portrays that despite the brief moments of glory, the life of an Olympian is not all victory laps and Wheaties box covers. After spending most of their lives in laser-focused training, the transition to relative normalcy can be jarring for many athletes, causing them to descend into depression or suffer from other mental health difficulties. The aftermath of the games when the cheers die down, the medals lose their sheen, and the applause fades away, the athletes are faced with emptiness, a void that they find difficult to fill.

The Weight of Gold makes it clear that sports organizations must improve mental health care for their athletes. It emphasizes that athletes, who devote much of their youth to a singular pursuit of victory, should not be abandoned once their professional sports career ends.

One of the documentary's strengths is its release amidst an ongoing global conversation about mental health, emphasizing its relevance. The candid interviews and personal stories featured in the film make the subject matter resonate on a deeply intimate and human level. The documentary uses a blend of interviews, montage, and archive footage to give a comprehensive view of the substantial emotional and psychological burden that these athletes bear.

The Weight of Gold is directed by Brett Rapkin and produced by Peter Carlisle and Michael Phelps, among others. The accomplished director and team of producers have managed to paint an intimate and vivid picture of these athletes' lives and experiences. It’s a gripping film that is both educational and inspiring, reminding us that mental health is crucial, should never be overlooked, and is as important as physical health - for everyone, not just Olympians.

In sum, The Weight of Gold is a powerful documentary that sheds light on the human cost of the Olympics, something that is often overlooked amidst the glamour and aura of the world's most significant sporting event. The personal stories of the athletes and their revelations make the documentary an essential watch for sports enthusiasts and anyone interested in mental health awareness.