I finally had the opportunity to screen the steroid documentary Bigger Stronger Faster* at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival! This is a movie that I have waited over 15 months to see. During this time. I’ve talked to several friends who were interviewed for the film and I’ve had the chance to meet and talk to director Christopher Bell on a few occasions; I even interviewed Chris for MESO-Rx in advance of the world premiere of Bigger Stronger Faster*. As a result, my expectations were quite high for the film.

I was not disappointed as Bigger Stronger Faster* was beautifully done – well-written and well-produced by co-producers Tamsin Rawady and Alex Buono (who were at the screening along with Chris). It was well-received by the audience as well.

Chris Bell has an unassuming and non-confrontational inteview style and combined it with an amazing talent for asking the right questions. This was the key to the film as it allowed the participants to tell the steroid narrative in their own words without directorial editorializing. 

I will write a more thoughtful and extensive review in the next few weeks. But I would like to briefly share a couple of thoughts about the documentary.

While this is a documentary that is very much about anabolic steroids, it is about much more. It is as if it uses the topic of steroids to explore larger issues in society. Producer Alex Buono admitted during the post-screening question and answer session that steroids were not a topic that particularly interested him; but Chris Bell’s story was compelling for reasons beyond steroids and that fascinated him.

The documentary reveals a very strong degree of anti-intellectualism that is unashamedly embraced by some participants in the steroid debate. I asked director Chris Bell about these issues after the screening. You may seen the live stream that was posted yesterday. If not, you can see Chris’ comments in the embedded youtube clip below.

I highly recommend this film to all our readers. It premieres at theatres in Los Angeles and New York on May 30, 2008 and at select theatres nationwide on June 6, 2008.