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“Runners High hits the high mark without reducing its subject to stereotypes nor raising them to archetypes. The test of any documentary must be its ability to create enough interests to matter. Runners High holds the viewer’s attention by relying on human nature. We tend to root for the underdog. What Fred, Alma and the others represent is nothing short of character development.” —Kevin Stewart, CinemATL capsule review (April, 2007). Read full review »
-- G. Allen Johnson, SF Chronicle (April 24, 2006)
“Inspirational sports movies are hard to beat, and this doc about Students Run Oakland, a group that trains high schoolers for the Los Angeles marathon, is particularly potent. Rough neighborhoods, unstable home lives, and plain old out-of-shapeness provide obstacles for the dedicated kids profiled here, but the training benefits nearly all who stick with it. “If you can accomplish a marathon, you can accomplish anything” would be a clichéd thing for a coach to say in a narrative film; in the context of this doc, the words feel truly sincere.” -- Cheryl Eddy, Assoc. Ed. A & E, SF Bay Guardian, (April 19, 2006)
“She (Justine) sought to distance it from other inspirational documentaries on youth competitions such as ‘Mad Hot Ballroom’ and ‘Spellbound’ by telling a ‘compelling character-driven story.’ She’s done that, and makes us laugh and tear up while watching.” —Randy Meyer, A & E Film Critic, Contra Costa Times, (April 16, 2006)
“Filmmakers Justine Jacob and Alex D. da Silva follow marathon hopefuls from the first pep talk to the final lap, and it’s pure inspiration every step of the way.”
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