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A Look at 'Girlfight'

Every once in a while a movie will be featured in depth in this column. The first movie to receive this honor is Girlfight. This film won Sundance's Best Director Award for Karyn Kusama and shared the Grand Jury Prize for best dramatic film. It's also been called one of the best Latin-American film of the last few years. My collaborator 'Tyler Durden' had the wonderful pleasure of attending an advance screening of this film and the privileges of interviewing one of the film's stars Santiago Douglas. Here's Tyler's amazing review of the film:

'Girlfight' Review

"I have a pretty good idea of the films out there, but I must admit that I had heard nothing of this movie. The title alone made me think this must be some sequel to Coyote Ugly or Bring It On. You can imagine my feeling of dread. So I started looking for information online and was shocked to hear this film had won awards at Cannes and Sundance. My second impression is that this must be a film for those true fans of the art, meaning no one outside the festivals would like it. At this point I was worried that looking up this film had left me with such a negative impression that I would be sure to hate it. All those impression were quickly snatched from me in the first 10 minutes of the film. Girlfight if a powerful film and I do not think there is a single film out there right now that can match it for intensity, story and heart. There is a lot of Oscar potential here and I have yet to see anything this year that can go more that two rounds with this film. Here is my take.

The Script:
Director Karyn Kusama picked an interesting backdrop for a coming of age film: the boxing gym. The story

Director Karyn Kusama

is very complex and given the cast of relative unknowns, Kusama put her writing and directing skills to the test. What makes the film especially good is that the script tests the boundaries of Latino family relationships without making a cultural judgment. Of particular interest is how the script deals with the paternal relationship differences between a son and daughter. Kusama also uses boxing as an active member of the cast because it affects every person in the story in various ways. This is just another example of why the script is so important to a film, especially a low-budget film. The script for Girlfight is sure to provide a powerful life for Latino actors to show they can play distinct roles without having to distinguish themselves by their accents. I would go see any film written or directed by Kusama based on the strength of this film alone. Keep an eye out for her people!!! My only problem with the script is that we never learn why Diana has the sudden urge to take up boxing. Was it for kicks or for the thrill of fighting or what? What about it made her go talk to Hector?

The Music:
I got a chance to listen to this soundtrack while at the screening and I wasn't that impressed. Actually, I was disappointed that the soundtrack did not feature more of the music used during the boxing sequences of the film. Boxing is a rhythm sport where the great one could "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee." In some of the training/sparring scenes the actors seem to dance around the ring and the choice to use a mix of Latin sounds and classical music was a good one. During the intense ring scenes, the music really accompanies the action. Like I said though, the soundtrack itself will disappoint you.

The People:
Diana Guzman is a tough girl because she has to be. She lives with her alcoholic and dismissive father who ignores all her needs in favor of her brother Tiny. Diana is from the Red Hook District of Brooklyn, New York and is in constant trouble at

Michele Rodriguez

school for fighting. Her temper flares out of control and she gets into a fight in the first 5 minutes of the movie. One close up to Diana's dark eyes and this movie had my complete attention. Diana is played with an intensity and charisma that no current Hollywood actress can match. Newcomer Michele Rodriguez was so compelling and by the end of the film I was cheering for her. With no previous acting or boxing experience, Rodriguez gave Diana everything she had to make her real on the screen. Girlfight is about Diana Guzman's search for respect, for meaning and for an escape from her father who treats her like a slave rather than a person.

One day she is told to go the gym to pay her brother Tiny's (Ray Santiago) boxing trainer Hector. Hector is played by veteran actor Jaime Tirelli and his calm presence works very well with the incendiary Rodriguez. When her brother is disrespected by another boxer, she punches that boxer in Tiny's defense. That night we see her watching television and the next day she goes back to the gym to ask Hector to train her as well.

Jaime Tirelli

Doubting a woman's ability in his sport, he agree to train her for a fee with the condition that she can't box anyone. Diana unhappily accepts the conditions and steals money from her dad to begin training. I don't want to ruin the entire training experience, but while learning this new sport she encounters another young boxer looking for a way out of the projects. Adrian is played by Santiago Douglas and I was surprised by the amount of sensitivity he brought to the role. Douglas and Rodriguez had amazing screen chemistry and this allowed Kusama develop the loving side of Diana. As she grows in the ring, she grows as a person and learns how to love someone. Pay particular attention to the points in the story where Diana is boxing Adrian. They were just amazing and Kusama and her crew deserve so much credit for making this film the way they did.

I had read a few reviews where people compared the boxing in this film to Rocky and Raging Bull. It is a mistake to think of those because the level of violence is not comparable. In this film we are dealing with amateurs and are not witness to intense fight scenes where we see the lead characters physically destroyed to accomplish their goals. While I think the boxing sequences are well choreographed and executed with precision, I felt that Girlfight used boxing more as the means to develop Diana as a person. That is my take at least.

The Moments & the Message:
Michele Rodriguez will hold you tightly in her iron grasp for the entire film. Her eyes tell you so much about her character. The scenes in which you see her relate to her father and finally confront him are poignant and relate a larger view of parental responsibilities and relationships. These kind of dynamics that you see in Girlfight should not be seen as limited to the Latino culture either. They are a problem for many families and the courage to attack it so bluntly is commendable. We are also presented with dialogue that cover issues like spousal abuse and suicide. Both are serious problems that, as a society, we need to work on. I agree with the idea that some of these problems like violence and abuse are being stereotyped on minority cultures, but I am not here to start a debate. You can agree or disagree with me... but in the end I think your awareness is essential.

Another issue that is brought up when watching this film is the idea of women's equality. I am not sure if this was intentional by Kusama, but it appears very clear as to which side this film takes on the issue. We get very clear images of Diana's frustration when the male boxers disrespect her ability and ethic because she is a woman. The Jaime Tirelli character of Hector and most of the other trainers all echo that ideal at some point in the film. Even Adrian must face his own views on the subject when he is forced into the ring with Diana twice. The scene in which Diana is in the locker room alone to cherish her final victory was my favorite scene in the film.

The final issue of note was stressed more by the group that held the screening of the film rather than the film itself. What kinds of values are placed upon Latinos (or any culture for that matter) by film? Do Latinos in the industry have a responsibility to reject certain roles based on message? Santiago Douglas certainly believes so and the group that he is the national spokesman for is trying to increase awareness about such issues. Go check out the message of the Premiere Weekend Club (www.premiereweekend.org) and decide for yourself. The group is interested in promoting Latinos in film and television in positive a positive light. Like I said, I do not want to carry the rhetoric on the subject to the point of resolution, but again, for those of you who find such things interesting, it is something to take away from seeing this film.

Final Thoughts:
Girlfight is an outstanding movie with a strong and hard working cast that delivers powerful messages. The script only had one small problem, but that did not hurt the movie in any way. My biggest concern for a film like this is will people hear enough or anything about the film that will urge them to see it. I tried to talk to a representative of Screen Gems (who are doing the initial limited release of the film) about this and she didn't understand my question. She was quick to point to a few magazine covers (magazines that do not have the best volume) and quote me some tidbits from major publications... but the problem is that those tidbits came out from those who saw the film at festivals. This film opens next week and I didn't see one trailer for it until I got a press kit that night. Sony Pictures has done this film an injustice by not investing some money into some big time marketing, at least in New York and Los Angeles. If you were to ask the general public if they have heard of this film, 9 out of 10 would probably say no. That is a problem. However, this is not a film to miss. Next week E! Will feature this film in its 'Behind the Scenes show' and if you have the time and channel, watch it. I would pay full price to see this film and that is not something you will hear me say very often."

(Review provided by 'Tyler Durden'.)

Click Here for Tyler's interview with Girlfight star Santiago Douglas

Stay tuned...

That's all folks...

Jean-François Allaire (aka DeadPool)

Questions, comments, praise etc. Email me at deadpool@tnmc.org

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Jean-François Allaire is TNMC's first columnist. At only 24 years old he has become a respected entertainment journalist, with his columns appearing in Corona's Coming Attractions and Scr(i)pt magazine. He also writes a monthly column in Screenwriters Monthly entitled 'The Last Word.' Hailing from Montreal this young writer is determined to dig up all the details on the movies before they hit your local theater. If you're part of a movie production then you really need to be talking to him.