Dead lift

2006, 16mm film, 11 min

Raw physical strength is here controlled in the environment of professional competition in an exercise aptly named Dead Lift. Filled with tension their faces express an almost religious experience as they appear to be pushing through some kind of barrier; their eyes are fixed upwards while their bodies stretch up and unfold. The look of relief on their faces happens the moment they achieve or fail. This can be the moment of glory and awe where tension gives way to fleeting transcendence, or the point of failure, just before the weight pulls them back down to earth.

Trine Lise Nedreaas

Dead lift