Doccie delight

Showmax is filled with documentaries that cover everything from rising sports stars, to love and loss.

- CRAIG FALCK

Streaming platform Showmax isn’t just about movies, soapies and series – it’s packed to the rafters with documentaries. Here’s a sample of the true-life stories you need to be binge-watching on Showmax now…

STATE OF PLAY: TROPHY KIDS

“Every parent wants their kid to be a superstar” – that sets the tone of this 2013 documentary film about folks who push their children on the sports field. Sometimes it pays off and you get a golfing giant like Tiger Woods. More often though, it implodes and the child is psychologically destroyed.

It’s scary viewing. You’re going to hear and see things that aren’t right. You can argue that the parents mean well and want to see their offspring excel with their natural abilities. But telling a nine-year-old girl “you’re an embarrassment to the game (of golf), I’m gonna smack you in your mouth” is shocking. That’s the harsh reality of child sports stars and the parents who’re mostly living vicariously through their talented kids.

There are six sporting “subjects” – Amari (golf), Derek and Ian (basketball), Justus (American football) and siblings Blake and Tanner (tennis) and seeing them scolded is heart-breaking, says ex-NFL star Todd Marinovich, who lived this life: “Things are fine when the kids enjoy the thrill of victory, but the proof is in how the parents react when they play poorly”.

LOVE CHILD