by Mark Deming
synopsis
In this strikingly photographed short documentary from Joerg Wagner, three motorcycle daredevils are shown during a typical day on the job. Traveling with a carnival, the men set up their small wooden arena during the day, and at night they put on a show for a small but rapt audience. Revving their engines, they push their machines from the bottom to the top of their cylindrical track, driving in formation on the walls and seemingly defying gravity with gritty panache. Motodrom was an official selection at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, where it received an honorable mention in the short film competition.