'More Than Gold' offers a wonderful insight into the life and the career of a woman whose story proves again that while some of us are dubious of the claim that sport builds character, I'm one who totally believes it does reflect character.
While writing Adams' 2012 autobiography, my wife and I grew to love her. We were lucky enough to see her humour and kindness at close hand, elements that light up the new film.
Director Briar March outlines perfectly how in sport Adams, so tall at intermediate school she towered over some of her teachers, was bullied because of her height and powerful physique.
The fascination is how the very physical elements that had made her an outlier would soon win her respect, as she went from hating being Valerie the biggest kid in class, to being Valerie, the international class athlete, heading off to places she'd never heard of, like Poland, to compete in world shot put championships.
There's a lovely touch when an interview with a former teacher, Teena Tamati, is a reminder of how important acts of kindness can be. When Adams first started breaking records with the shot she did so in bare feet. Throwing shoes were beyond her household's tight budget. In the men's section of a sports shop Teena bought a pair of shoes for her that in effect put the wind beneath Adams' wings.
Adams' determination to succeed was born in the emotionally shattering loss of her mother, who died in a 15-year-old Valerie's arms in a South Auckland hospice.
The teenager made a promise to her mother and herself that her throwing abilities wouldn't be wasted, and from that day forward her drive to succeed was extraordinary.
Watching her train is almost breathtaking. Massive weights are flung around, and her explosiveness expressed with standing two footed jumps over a series of hurdles.
The great ones have always dug deep. Triple gold medal runner Peter Snell finished his first run through the Waitakere Ranges sobbing in the lounge of his coach Arthur Lydiard's house at the end of the course.
Adams' commitment is legendary in athletics circles, and in 'More Than Gold' we get a real sense of just how much she throws into her work.
I've often said to people who ask, "what's Valerie Adams like?", that what they hoped she would be, is actually what she is. If I'm asked now I'll have a new answer: "Go and see her movie, and by the time it's finished you'll know."
