I probably missed something b/c I was watching this movie on an airplane, but what did the bullies do to him that traumatized him so badly? Was he only beaten? When the older one visited him at the house he was so upset he tried to kill himself!!!! Did I miss something?
"Resolve is never stronger than in the morning after the night it was never weaker."
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Thanks, Mr. John, I watched the movie yesterday and I also felt I was missing something about his disease.
shareFrom my reading of the movie (again, based on real events and real characters):
I guess he had an obsessive compulsive disorder and riding his bicycle was one of his rituals to try and neutralize his obsessions. Because he took it very far, to the point of no return almost, when he went through a stage of perceived failure, his obsessions caught on with him.
Usually you need a little bit of counseling and a little bit of medication (not always, though), to take care of it. Apparently he never faced his issues until the minister talked to him.
I do not know Graeme Obree much, I am only talking about the character I saw in the movie.
It is now believed that his repression about being a homosexual contributed greatly to his poor mental state.
He came out to his family in 2005 and publicly to others in 2011.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeme_Obree
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Sig Line:
NASCAR EVILS: Speeding, Tailgating, No Signals, Dangerous Passing, Road Rage, Wrecks...
The illness was Bipolar (manic depression) that he suffers from, the symptons of which were exactly what drove him to do what he did (the grand plans, mania while training and driven to build the bike, and the depression). As a result of his training and dedication, the final crash was staved off by the exercise.
Be aware there are some liberties taken with the timeline for the move, a quick search of his Wikipedia entry, or any of the many web pages dedicated will straighten things out. eg. the suicide attempt was not until 99/2000, long after he set the one hour record a second time in 95.
But all in all, a great movie.