Watch the Inspiring Story of Two Olympic Swimmers in a Trailer for the Documentary 'Touch the Wall' (Exclusive)
What were you doing when you were in high school?
Actually, don’t bother telling us, because unless you were utterly destroying the competition in top-level international sporting events, it just can’t compare to Missy Franklin, one of the subjects of the upcoming documentary Touch the Wall, the trailer for which you can see above.
At the 2012 London Olympics, the then-17-year-old swimmer won gold medals and set a world record in one of her events. The performance earned the Berkeley, California, native the title of World Swimmer of the Year, and also provided an amazing arc for the filmmakers Grant Berbeito and Christo Brock.
The pair followed Franklin and fellow Olympic swimmer Kara Lynn Joyce as they trained for the Olympics, trailing the duo for three years in Colorado. At 25 years of age, Joyce was the veteran, who had already competed in several Olympic Games. As you can see from the trailer, she became a mentor and friend to Franklin, who is 14 at the beginning of the film.
It’s an uplifting story, and in a recent interview, Franklin called Joyce her “mom-slash-big sister-slash-friend,” which is a pretty high compliment and also a lot of responsibility.
Franklin has become a true star since those Olympic games, even making an appearance as herself on Pretty Little Liars. Now, she’s the focus of an entire film, which will debut on Nov. 15 at the Starz Denver Film Festival.
