The Story

The narrative line starts from an autobiographic POV, supported by vintage home-video footage from childhood in the school yard. However the narration quickly evolves stepping away from the personal story, trying to become more universal as the mother moves from Italy towards international crews/scenes/characters. Only after a long tour around the world we’ll get back to mother and son relationship to find them on a grow-up stage.

A coming-of-age story, not only for children using Parkour as path of growth – but mostly for adults and parents trying to learn how to ‘survive’ to their teenager’s adolescence.

After an introduction of the discipline of Parkour and its playful and more spectacular routine, the author departs to a journey to meet crews from UK, France, China, Hong Kong, Gaza looking for answers to her questions. A grief for a senseless death, after a young member of the local crew had died from a wrong jump, made her reflect on educational approach. She questions herself and other adults -such as international PK world champions/freerunner/traceurs,mothers, scientist at Cambridge University- on youngsters’ impulses, educational strategies and janitorial role.

A philosophical approach of the discipline is being unveiled across different continents and among different cultures.

The son will pursue his physical approach to the discipline and will continue to trace with different crews, traveling across Europe with his new friends. We follow the son’s growth along a long lapse of time, from primary school to Uni. Over ten years development process, which will take him from adolescence to thorough freedom and emancipation from mother-son relationship. But he’ll never give up the extreme.

Finally we’ll find them re-joined with a new awareness, she has learned how to let go, he has become a totally independent new individual, while audience may have enjoyed the discovering of a new extreme discipline in all its different interpretation and social implications.

Serena Mignani