Amanda | Mikhaël Hers, 2018
Early in Mikhaël Hers’ Amanda, Sandrine, an English teacher in Paris, buys tickets to Wimbledon for herself, her brother David, a former tennis prodigy, and her daughter Amanda, and in the wake of her death this trip to England takes on new significance for both uncle and niece. The two arrive at Centre Court as the players emerge from the locker rooms below, and Hers cuts immediately to the match’s closing stages. The scoreboard shows that each player has won two sets apiece in a marathon match, with Forster winning the first two and McLennan winning the next two, while in the fifth and final set, Forster is leading five games to four. There is no indication of which of the two players is serving next, though if Forster wins the next game the match is over. The players return to the court, and the game progresses.
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Three break points. Hers focuses his camera on the server, following his movements during rallies and between serves as he loses three points in a row. Amanda, studiously watching the match, is suddenly reduced to tears. “Elvis has left the building,” she says. “It’s done. It’s over.” Her uncle reassures her that that isn’t the case, though Amanda remains unconvinced. The match continues.
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The server fights his way back into the game, and Amanda begins to smile, clapping each point as her uncle joyfully looks on. “You see now? Hang in there all the way,” he tells her. The server steps up once again.
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This match is far from over but the server has pulled himself back from the brink, and Amanda, beaming now, stands to applaud him. It’s here that Hers cuts away, and we leave the match at a moment of inconclusiveness, never seeing who wins in the end. The server is a picture of grit and resilience, finding a new lease of life to overcome immense pressure and adversity exactly when he needs it the most, and it’s clear that his comeback has dislodged something within Amanda. No matter how improbable it might seem, sometimes things do get better.