Rob Munday
Running seems to be popular subject in the world of short film and we’ve seen many different takes on this particular form of exercise over the years – my personal favourite being 2014 Short of the Year winner The Runners. In Amar Chebib’s (Joe Buffalo) heartfelt and honest short doc The Runner we follow a story of resilience and endurance as we’re introduced to 20yr-old Darius Sam as he shares his struggles with his mental health and prepares to run a 100-mile ultramarathon in freezing temperatures.
A layered narrative that tackles themes of addiction, community, depression, family, loss and more, with his latest short Chebib presents another inspiring story, told with his usual filmmaking flair. Introducing us to its main character through a quick 30-second montage – where we see Darius being blessed in a traditional smudging ceremony and running through the Nicola Valley of BC (Nlaka’pamux territory) where he lives, his voiceover describing his challenges and how people perceive him – we’re instantly immersed in the on-screen world and given an indication of what this storyline holds.
20yr-old Darius Sam preparing to run his 100-mile ultra marathon.
With the opening seven-minutes dedicated to his prep, we join this young man as he trains, both physically and mentally, for the almost unthinkable task of running 100-miles in the harsh subzero climate. As we get to meet his family, his mentor and, of course, Darius himself, he explains what drives him to attempt such a feat of endurance. As the following half of the film is dedicated to following him on his run, from mile 0 to mile 100, not only do we get to join Darius as he pushes himself to his very limits, our bond to him grows as he details how close he came to ending his own life and what he hopes to achieve from completing this challenge.
Having only heard about Darius’ attempt two weeks before he was set to start to his run, Chebib found himself motivated to reach out after being impressed by what such a young man was setting out to do to raise awareness around mental health and addiction. “I had never heard of anyone running 100 miles before nevermind in the middle of winter and someone that young with relatively little training”, the director reveals. “I was also really inspired by the cause, that it was about something bigger. Upon reaching out to him, we immediately connected and I sensed a certain maturity and clarity about who he was and what he was going to do in his life. From that moment I knew I needed to make a film about him”.
“For the run itself, we were basically just winging it”
With Chebib now convinced that Darius was the subject of his next short and with such little turnaround time – they arrived in town three days before the run was set to start – the filmmaker had to work fast to ensure he was as prepared as possible to capture everything he needed. “I usually would’ve liked to scout locations”, the director reveals, “particularly for the run itself. But knowing that our time with Darius was backed into the run, I wanted to shoot as much controlled imagery with Darius as possible as well as the interviews with him, his mom and his coach. So for the run itself, we were basically just winging it – alternating between our ground camera and the drone and trying to stay out of each other’s way”.
Discussing the shoot, Chebib recalled how they would cover the run in shifts, returning to a hotel to rest for a few hours, before rejoining Darius on his route. As already mentioned, most of the filming was improvised, although the director did give his drone operator a few specific shots to capture and had a specific montage in mind, where it was the middle of the night and Darius would be battling his inner demons. “It was about 4am and about -6 C / 21 F when I asked Jason, our cinematographer, to put on a 120mm lens with a double fog filter on it and run alongside him on the highway”, Chebib explains. “He looked at me like I was crazy but obliged as he struggled to capture eyes, hands, feet, coming in and out of focus. It was amazing he captured as much as he did given the circumstances and he was pulling his own focus. In the end I’m really happy with how it came together.”
Darius at the end of his challenge – exhausted, but elated.
Despite Chebib not having all the prep he would have preferred before going in to shoot The Runner, it’s an impressive short to watch. The cinematography is striking without ever feeling gimmicky and the edit pulls the story together perfectly – a story about a runner has to have good pacing and Chebib, who edited the film himself, absolutely nails it here. 17-minutes is a long-time in the world of short films, but the director ensures things never drag, raising and lower the tempo at keys moments and allowing his audience to bask in Darius’ triumph alongside him. It’s a long journey, but you leave it feel elevated, refreshed and inspired, never overwhelmed.
Released in time for Indigenous Peoples’ Day on The New Yorker, Chebib is Syrian-Canadian filmmaker who spreads his talents working on documentaries, branded content, and commercials. For his next project, he’s working on “an experimental narrative short exploring the dual potentialities of humankind through the lens of Islamic mysticism and eschatology :)”. Sounds fascinating.