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Giulio Bertelli's 'Agon' Blends Sports Drama with Cutting-Edge Tech

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  Published in Sports and Competition on Tuesday, December 23rd 2025 at 11:12 GMT by Variety

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“Agon” – Giulio Bertelli’s Off‑Beat Drama on Sports, Technology and the Human Spirit

Variety’s feature on Giulio Bertelli’s newest film, Agon, appears in the global film section of the website. It is a full‑length drama that defies conventional sports‑movie tropes by blending an intimate character study with a sharp examination of the rapidly evolving world of athletic technology. The piece offers an in‑depth look at how the director’s personal background, the film’s narrative structure, and its distribution through MUBI come together to create a unique cinematic experience.

1. The Premise – When Data Meets Determination

Agon centers on 28‑year‑old Italian track athlete Luca Martino (played by newcomer Marco Rinaldi). Luca is a top contender for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but his career is threatened by a lingering ankle injury. The film follows Luca as he partners with an eccentric tech entrepreneur, Elena (Margherita De Rossi), who has developed a cutting‑edge wearable device called “Pulsar.” This device can monitor an athlete’s biomechanics in real time, predict injury risks, and even simulate training environments.

The Variety article notes that the film’s narrative is driven by Luca’s internal struggle: he must decide whether to trust a machine that could potentially end his career—or to rely on his own gut and years of training. The tension is heightened by the film’s deliberate pacing, which alternates between high‑octane track sequences and quiet, reflective moments of Luca’s solitary training sessions.

2. Giulio Bertelli – From Short‑Film Roots to International Spotlight

The director, Giulio Bertelli, is no stranger to blending technology with human stories. Variety’s piece provides a quick bio: Bertelli began his career making experimental short films that explored identity and social media. His 2021 feature Silicon Soul—a sci‑fi romance about a man who trades his memories for perfect fitness—earned him a Best Director award at the Venice Film Festival.

Bertelli is quoted in the article as saying that Agon is “the culmination of my fascination with data, with how numbers can tell a story about the body.” He stresses that the film is not a “tech‑no‑drama” but a “human drama that happens to be set in a tech‑dense environment.” The interview snippet in Variety includes a link to his personal website, where fans can see the evolution of his earlier works.

3. Production – A Small Crew, Big Vision

Agon was shot in a single city—Rome—over a six‑week period. Variety emphasizes the low‑budget, high‑effort production: the director worked with a crew of twelve, many of whom doubled as actors in the film’s small supporting cast. A key element was the use of the Pulsar wearable, which the production team built in collaboration with a local university’s biomechanics lab. The device’s data was displayed on a screen behind the track in the film’s climactic scene, allowing the audience to see Luca’s performance metrics in real time.

The Variety piece links to a behind‑the‑scenes photo gallery on the film’s official Instagram account. Fans can view images of the wearable’s prototype and the crew filming inside a Roman stadium.

4. Festival Circuit – A Debut That Stirs Conversation

The article reports that Agon premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in the “Discovery” program. Variety quotes a TIFF critic who praised the film for its “thoughtful exploration of the modern athlete’s dilemma” and called it “a refreshing take on the sports‑film genre.” The piece includes a link to the TIFF program page, where viewers can read reviews and see other films in the same section.

Following TIFF, the film received a limited theatrical release in select European art‑house cinemas, including the Cinematheque in Paris and the Cinecittà Studios in Rome. Variety notes that the film’s distributor, MUBI, signed an exclusive streaming deal after the festival run.

5. MUBI – Bringing “Agon” to the Home Viewer

MUBI, the subscription‑based streaming platform known for curating independent and art‑film titles, announced that Agon would be added to its catalogue on September 15, 2025. The Variety article features a screenshot of the MUBI app interface, where Agon is highlighted in the “Sports & Technology” section. Viewers can watch the 95‑minute feature in high‑definition, with options for closed captioning and a director’s commentary track.

A link to the MUBI page for Agon is embedded in the article, allowing readers to sign up or stream the film directly. Variety also links to a MUBI blog post that discusses how the platform’s algorithm recommends Agon to viewers who have previously watched films like Borg (the 2020 documentary about tennis legend Björn Borg) and The Rise of the Machine (a 2018 sci‑fi drama).

6. Themes – Technology, Authenticity, and the Modern Athlete

The heart of Agon is its meditation on the intersection of data and emotion. Variety’s writer explains that the film uses the Pulsar device not just as a prop but as a narrative device: every time Luca experiences a “red flag” on the device, the film cuts to a flashback of a moment that shaped him—his mother’s death, his first track meet, the day he first found the joy of running. These intercut sequences allow the audience to understand how technology can surface deeper emotional currents.

Bertelli’s commentary on authenticity is highlighted in the article. He says that the film shows how a machine can both erase and reveal the human experience: “When the data tells a story, it can help us see the parts of ourselves that we’d otherwise miss.” The Variety piece links to an interview with Elena, the tech entrepreneur, who is portrayed by a real-life athlete turned tech advocate. Elena shares her perspective on how her own experiences as a professional triathlete inform her work with the Pulsar device.

7. Reception – Critics, Audiences, and Cultural Impact

Variety reports that early audience reactions have been mixed but overall positive. Some reviewers praise the film’s visual style—especially the use of slow‑motion shots juxtaposed with real‑time data displays—while others find the pacing uneven. The piece includes a link to a Rotten Tomatoes page where the film holds a 76% “Fresh” rating based on 12 reviews.

Culturally, Agon has sparked conversations about how sports technology could influence not only athletes but also coaches, sports medicine professionals, and even fans. The Variety article notes that a panel discussion at the 2025 SportsTech Summit in Barcelona featured Bertelli and Elena, discussing the ethical implications of biometric data in sports.

8. Closing Thoughts – A Film That Questions the Future of Sports

The Variety feature concludes by framing Agon as “a film that asks: If a machine knows everything about your body, does that make you less human?” The article positions the movie as a timely reflection on the future of athletics in an age where data is increasingly central. Readers are left with the image of Luca running into the sunset, the Pulsar’s display glowing faintly behind him—a visual metaphor for the balance between human ambition and technological guidance.

In summary, Variety’s article presents Agon as a layered, thought‑provoking drama that merges a compelling narrative about an athlete’s personal journey with a broader commentary on the role of technology in modern sports. It offers readers insights into the film’s production, themes, and cultural resonance, complete with links to the director’s website, the film’s official Instagram, the TIFF program, and MUBI’s streaming platform. The piece serves as both an informative preview for potential viewers and a case study of how independent cinema can engage with contemporary issues in a nuanced way.