Roland Garros' red clay is a redemption road for an aging player chasing a lost dream in Final Set
The new French film stars Cesar Award-winner Alex Lutz, as Thomas, a 37-year-old player who never quite fulfilled his junior promise. Thomas is transitioning out of the sport—and confronting some personal issues—when he has the opportunity to play Roland Garros qualifying.
The ensuing drama presents the physical pain and psychological process the underdog experiences fighting through matches while coping with declining fitness and a shattered knee. While the movie can be seen as a type of tennis Rocky story, it also examines the addictive hold the sport has on some players and idea that the mind and will are two of the greatest tools any player can bring on court.
Although his wife Eve (Ana Girardot) and mother Judith (Oscar-nominee Kirstin Scott Thomas) advise him to give up on his unlikely ambition, Thomas obsessively perseveres building to a Roland Garros clash against a talented, brash opponent who reminds Thomas of a younger version of himself.
Final Set a film by Quentin Reynaud will premier on August 27th, 2021 just before the US Open at New York City’s Quad Cinema as well as across the nation via Virtual Cinema.
Ro Photo credit: Final Set