The Expression Hub

Starring: Lance Armstrong , Reed Albergotti, Frankie Andreu, Betsy Andreu, Johan Bruyneel, Alberto Contador, Daniel Coyle, Michele Ferrari, George Hincapie,

Directed By: Alex Gibney

Genre: Documentary

“Deception may give us what we want for the present, but it will always take away in the end.”

-Rachel Hawthorne

This week’s pick explores a story of a person considered one of the greats in the history of cycling. But then a can of worms spilt out and spelt doom for him. His entire world came crashing down. Knowing that his game was up, he decided to come out clean about his deception. However, after coming out clean, did he lose respect or did he gain more admirers for speaking out the truth? Lets find out.

Synopsis: Lance Armstrong was what one would describe as a perfect example of a person who was an inspiration to all. A person who gets struck by testicular cancer. Yet, he makes it by ending up winning seven Tour De France consecutively. His Livestrong Foundation raised millions for cancer research and awareness. In short, he was a person who was a ray of hope for a lot of people.

And then one day, it all came crashing down. This is what Alex Gibney tries to explore through his documentary “The Armstrong Lie“. What was supposed to be a story about how a man overcomes all the odds ended up being a Pandora box of how a fraud was carried out.

The scale at which the deception was carried out was immense. For over a decade, he ended up masterminding the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program in the world of cycling. He bullied teammates into participating, threatened whistleblowers, intimidated journalists, and sued anyone who dared suggest he was anything less than clean.

The level of fraud he carried out was multi-dimensional. This is what is explored in the documentary. Of how a symbol of hope became a face of fraudulent activities.

Scrutiny: Gibney’s documentary explores the emotions of Lance in his three different phases. The confident champion who controlled his narrative after making a comeback; the aggressive accused who maintained his innocence even though allegations mounted and that of a disgraced athlete who started making partial admissions once the truth came out.

Another interesting aspect of the documentary is that it explores the theme of self-deception.He didn’t just lie to the world.But instead he constructed an alternate reality where his actions were justified.It exposes an ugly picture of what winning at any cost means as the end always justified the means. However, this win at any cost attitude ended up creating a downward spiral from which escape became impossible without total destruction.

But was he the only one who was responsible for the entire mess? This is a question the documentary tries to explore as it showcases the complacency in the world of professional cycling. It also exposes the role media plays . It failed as a watchdog as Lance used it to control the story he was telling .

It also highlights a tragic truth that people who tell the truth are often victims of professional exile, financial ruin or personal attacks. In spite of that it also reminds us that while truth may not prevail always immediately; persistence about it leads to a breakthrough.

The Sentiment:The Armstrong Lie is an eye-opening watch.The reason why it is eye-opening is because it portrays the fragile nature of media. It shows how desperately we want to believe in heroes but this desire blinds us to red flags.

His story serves as a caution about the dangers of unchecked ambition and the corrosive effects of lying. As one deception after another created an elaborate house of cards which ultimately collapsed.

But despite one’s power, wealth, celebrity friends, and sophisticated PR machine, the truth always finds its way out and facts do prevail over fiction. This is a very crucial lesson especially in times when truth often seems negotiable and “alternative facts” compete for attention.

It also leaves behind a question for the viewers-Is redemption possible after a calculated, long-term deception? Well that depends what your value system is about and what you tend to prioritize the most.

Rating:****

Que : Which country did Michele Ferrari belong to?

a. Italy

b. United States of America

c. Ireland

d. France

Quote Unquote: “I viewed my battle with cancer as an athletic competition. But in that, you either win or you lose. When you lose, or if you lose, you die. So I took that perspective, which is a little dark, and I put it into everything I’ve done since then. I like to win. But more than anything, I can’t stand the idea of losing, because, to me, that equals death.”