Hurdle and spikes

"It’s a great story... it’s an underdog story and it’s really uplifting"

Danny Perkins, Chief Executive Officer, STUDIOCANAL

"Fast Girls is the story of two rivals. There’s Shania Andrews, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who’s a natural-born sprinter. For her, running is a means of escape from her life on the Estate. Then there’s Lisa Temple, a posh girl whose dad is a former gold medalist. Lisa has been groomed for success from an early age, so when Shania comes onto the scene and threatens her position, sparks fly. They’re both forced to work together on the sprint relay team, and we follow their ups and downs as they attempt to take on the world"

Regan Hall, Director

Look at these still images from the film then discuss the questions that follow.

• What does each image suggest to you about the characters shown?  What information do you base your answer on?
• Use your reading of the images to help you to explain what you think Danny Perkins means by the phrase ‘an underdog story’.
• If you haven’t yet seen the film, what specific challenges and difficulties do you predict Shania faces in the film? 
• Although Lisa is in a much more privileged position than Shania, she also faces challenges and has to overcome hurdles.  Why do you think the filmmakers have chosen to create two characters in the same team who come from such different backgrounds?
• With a partner, choose one of these images to use as a starting point for a role-play exploring how friends and family can affect performance. Imagine you are one of the characters in one of these images, what are you thinking?  How are you feeling?  What do you want and how will you get it?
• Share your role-plays with others in your class then have a discussion about how friends and family can help to motivate you or can hold you back.  Try to come up with a list of top tips for staying on track with achieving your own personal ambitions and chasing your dreams.