Film

The athlete in question is Graeme Obree (Miller), a self-taught Scottish cyclist who developed a custom aerodynamic bike, pioneered an efficient hands-to-chest riding position and in 1993 broke the world one-hour distance record, only to be railroaded by a cycling federation—here embodied by a lone, sneering Bavarian bureaucrat—that didn’t like the way he rode. (Indeed, at some point after the movie ends, the “Superman” position Obree later adopted was banned.)

He also suffered from depression, an issue the movie raises and then summarily drops, the better to add more cycling scenes. (Did he get over it? Does he still have it?) Emphasizing teamwork, Scotsman shows how Obree’s wife (Fraser), manager (Boyd) and preacher friend (Cox) were crucial to his success. The most evocative scenes involve their skepticism at his bicycle designs, which include bearings built out of dryer parts. But the significance of his achievement is never clarified; to us, Obree’s just another rider, trapped in the movie-uplift gearwork.