[Editor's Note: For more coverage of GIFF, check out Joe Bardi's cover story on GIFF and expanded Q&A with festival President Chad Moore Mitch Perry's story on festival entry Full Signal, and more reviews of some of the films playing the festival.]
With beautiful locations, a compelling narrative and very likeable subject, The Back Nine is an excellent homage to the game of golf. The documentary follows 40-year-old Jon Fitzgerald making one last run at his dream of becoming a professional golfer. On the surface, The Back Nine is about golf the sport — dealing with the science, psychology and history of the game — but dig a little deeper and the film becomes a love letter to family and fatherhood. Through his journey, Fitzgerald reconnects with his father (who had abandoned him as a child) and his stepfather, ultimately realizing the importance of being a father himself and how his actions will shape his children's lives.
The Back Nine is screening Sat. March 20 at 7:45 p.m. at CinéBistro in Hyde Park. And if you Tweet, be sure to follow The Back Nine on Twitter.
Check out the trailer for The Back Nine after the break …
This article appears in Mar 17-23, 2010.