A Glimpse Inside the All-Consuming World of Amateur Bodybuilding

In the world of bodybuilding, the Arnold Classic (or "The Arnolds" as they're known) is considered one of the biggest deals of the year, most likely because it's named after Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Destination Arnold is an Australian documentary that follows two Indigenous women who dream of competing in the Arnolds. Over two years, Tash and Kylene journey to the competition, inside an oft-unseen bubble of crazy diets and too much bronzer.

But this isn't really a movie about bodybuilding. The nuances of the sport—gruesomely fascinating as they are—go mostly unexplored. Documentary maker Sascha Ettinger Epstein is far more interested in the forces that motivate Tash and Kylene to undergo such rigorous training schedules. We watch as they hire expensive personal trainers, strip off in front of massive crowds, and generally uproot their lives.

Neither woman comes from a particularly fitness-focused background, but training for the Arnolds seems to become an addiction. They're both brutal about their insecurities, especially in the way they discuss their bodies and how they wish to change. We watch them strip off in front of their children and ask them to point out the flabby bits. Then there are plenty of moments that the two fitness obsessives discuss straight-to-camera issues like abusive relationships, raising children alone, and grieving for departed parents. It's painful stuff, but it also makes for compelling viewing.

In this way you assume that Destination Arnold will be inspiring in a standard, straightforward way—two underdogs triumph over their personal demons, and win glory and fame in a typically male-dominated field. You think you'll get to see some before-and-after photos, and after shedding a single tear walk out of the cinema feeling a bit better about the world. The allure of transformative makeovers, in the vein of the Biggest Loser or any number of movies and TV shows that centre on self improvement, is the big reveal at the end.

But without giving too much away, Destination Arnold doesn't offer the clear-cut ending you hope for. Instead, it's a frank look at what it is like to aim for absolute perfection, and then work through the setbacks and disappointments that inevitably follow. Epstein doesn't manipulate the viewer or her subjects, she simply allows them to let loose on camera during both the high and low moments of their Arnolds journey.

We watch as Tash and Kylene are taught to dislike themselves and their bodies. Whether the goal is to lose 10 kilos in time for bikini season or to get shredded enough to compete in a bodybuilding competition, the emotional turmoil—the rituals of self-hatred, despair, and crash dieting—remain the same. In the end, a film about a fairly niche sporting competition ends up being much more relatable than you think.

And that's what makes Destination Arnold work: it normalises and humanises the sometimes wacky world of competitive women's bodybuilding, instead of just laughing at it or stereotyping its devotees.

Nominated for the Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Best Australian Documentary, "Destination Arnold" is part of the Sydney Film Festival, which runs until June 19. Buy tickets and view the programme here.