MAMIL
THREE AND A HALF STARS A fly on the wall doco about weekend-warrior cyclists aka mamils.
Starring mamils
DOCUMENTARY #MAMIL
Mamil - the acronym for Middle Aged Men In Lyrca - conjures a lot of disturbing images; mostly inappropriate displays of lumpy manhood when a pod of cyclists take over your coffee shop. These are things you can’t un-see. Yet the best thing about a Mamil is that they simply don’t care about such minor concerns. In fact it’s an acronym worn with pride.
Travelling the world, filmmakers Nikoals Bird and Eleanor Sharp shine a light on these weekend warriors to show that being a mamil is much more than getting up early and overwhelming local cafes. Mamils (inexplicably there are few women cyclists in this league) find a sense of community in cycling. For many it offers belonging and purpose, while for some their sport is a lifesaver. Literally.
From Melbourne to London via Los Angeles and Bath, MAMIL is a fascinating insight into a much maligned sport that aims to find out what makes some men tick. Narrated by cycling supremo Phil Liggett, its fly-on-the-wall approach achieves just that with witty, insightful, poignant and thoroughly entertaining results.
At the very least, you’ll have a new found respect for those middle aged men who get up at an unholy hour to don Lycra and punish themselves on the road for the sake of their fellow mamils. Quite inspiring actually.
In cinemas from February 21 through DEMAND FILM