'Balestra' with Cush Jumbo and Manny Jacinto: Nicole Dorsey looks at 'the pursuit of greatness at all costs'

Canadians were glued to their screens watching fencer Eleanor Harvey win Canada's first-ever Olympic medal in fencing, and Nicole Dorsey's film Balestra is conveniently the perfect follow up to that historic event. Starring Cush Jumbo, Manny Jacinto and James Badge Dale, written by Imran Zaidi, Balestra is a gripping movie that's part sports drama, part sci-fi psychological thriller.

Joanna Bathory, played by Jumbo, aspires to be on a U.S. Olympic fencer after a mysterious incident forced her to leave the sport. She trains with her husband and coach Raph (Dale), who is clearly trying to live out his unachieved athletic goals through his wife's career.

Joanna joins a study of transcranial magnetic stimulation using a device called a Halo. When activated and worn by Joanna she can complete a day's worth of training while sleeping for only minutes. When Joanna enters this dream state of the Halo she's coached by Elliot (Jacinto), and getting stronger physically and mentally in the lead up to the Olympics. But as time progresses, being with Elliot and using the Halo becomes Joanna's obsession, leaning into her subconscious.

'It's very easy to get caught up and lost with wanting to reach a goal'

For Dorsey, she "chased" the opportunity to direct Balestra, based on Zaidi's script.

"I was so fascinated by the world of fencing, I find it incredibly cinematic and very theatrical, and very moody and full of raw emotion and behaviour, and precise and intricate and everything that's exciting from a filmmaking perspective," Dorsey told Yahoo Canada. "But it was also the humanity of the story and how universal and relatable Joanna's path is, and this pursuit of greatness at all costs, and our idea of self-value and being surrounded by the concept of greatness was also incredibly intriguing."

At the core of Balestra is an evaluation of the "American dream," this quest to reach a goal that we think will make us feel completely satisfied, but that's never actually the case.

"I think it's a universal theme," Dorsey said. "As somebody working in the arts myself, I think it's very easy to get caught up and lost with wanting to reach a goal, and this idea of, if I just get to this goal everything in my life will come together and I'll feel this wholeness and the satisfaction. But the reality is that the goal post is always moving and it's always changing."

"It's not as satisfying as we had hoped. There's no nirvana that awaits us and that's something I try to keep in mind in my own life, to enjoy the journey and to be present."

The practical elements of fencing are also a significant asset to Balestra. The épée, the mask, the whole uniform and the intricacies of the movement all amplify the mystery of the story.

"I think cinematically it adds this layer of mystery, ... lending itself to the thriller genre itself, and almost a sense of impending doom that's very much there," Dorsey said. "And then on a practical shooting level, we did a mix of both the actors performing as well as we had some really talented fencers jump in and do the more intricate choreographed routines."

"I just loved it. ... The uniforms also have this space-like quality, [which] I think for the sci-fi element of the story was really fun to play with."

While sci-fi elements, like the Halo, have a tendency to take over all other elements of a movie, Dorsey's film is always grounded in serving Joanna's story.

"It's about her humanity and her emotional and personal story," Dorsey said. "So elements of sport and technology all serves that, all serve her."

"Keeping myself focused on not trying to hit genre beats super hard, but rather stay consistent and stay true to her journey was my focus. And really the aesthetic of the film is very much inspired by fencing in itself. The sounds, the movements, all of that I tried to incorporate both visually and audibly."

'I think within his own right he's a tragic figure'

While we're guided through this story with Joanna, and in turn see the toxicity and codependency with Raph, Dorsey stressed that it was important to work with Dale to make the character more than just a "brooding husband."

"I think within his own right he's a tragic figure, his character, and I do feel for him and I have empathy for him," she said.

"Sure, Joanna is our protagonist throughout the story, but I think he's relatable when there's been something that's been your identity your entire life, and you didn't achieve what you set out to achieve. I think he's problematic, but I don't fault him for who that character is in the story. So we talked a lot about that, about identity and purpose."

Nicole Dorsey was in tears watching film's final moments

It would be tragic to spoil the ending of such a stimulating film like Balestra, but we have to tease that the final moments of the movie, particularly with Joanna, are incredibly powerful.

"I always love a button ending that sort of is a little conflicting, so that you take a moment and you have to choose a side of how you feel," Dorsey said. "There's a bit of a question at the end, a question of morality, I think, at the end of the film, which is exactly what I want."

"I want to create a conversation, and I love people to reflect on their own life and what's happening within themselves, and that's very much what the end of the film is. ... I envisioned it so many times when I was in prep, what that moment would be like and feel like and what I wanted to communicate. Working with Cush was really a dream. I had tears when I was watching the monitor and she brought that moment to life because she was so connected to the character. And I really hope that she connects to the audience in the same way, which I really think she will. She's a brilliant performer."

Balestra is in theatres August 9