"Girlfight" - Goes the Distance by Homer Yen (c) 2000
"Girlfight" is a rough-edged fairy tale about Diana Guzman (Michelle Rodriguez), a burdened 17-year girl looking to rise above her low-rent status. But things do not bode well for our heroine. She endures a miserable home life, has little prospect of escaping the Brooklyn housing project in which she lives, and sees a murky future virtually bereft of any real opportunity.
Diana is not a happy teenager, bubbling with anger and attitude. In school, for example, she seems to spend most of her time in detention hall. She has been in numerous fights this semester and is on the verge of being expelled. Home life is no better. Her father seems impartial to her and unsupportive of her activities. He's a bullheaded man intent on imposing an outdated set of rules on his children. He forces Diana's bookish brother to take boxing lessons when his talents clearly lie elsewhere. And to Diana, he can only ask why she won't ever wear a skirt.
As chance would have it, she pays a visit to her brother at the boxing gym where he trains and watches some of the action. Intrigued, she sees that boxing may be just the right outlet for her anger and athletic ability. Thus, a gritty little drama starts to take shape as she begins to train. Working as hard as any Olympian, Diana learns the basic techniques in a surprisingly short amount of time. Over a period of a few months, she increases her strength, learns a variety of combination moves, and begins to spar with the other guys in the gym (there are no other female boxers there). Her skill is gaining her a measure of acceptance, while her physical regimen gives her an important personal boost.
During her time in the gym, she meets up with Adrian (Santiago Douglas). He's a promising featherweight training for the pros. She likes him and he's also interested in Diana but has trouble with commitment. When the two eventually spar, he just sort of dances around, not really sure what to do. No doubt, his indecision in the ring parallels his indecision in his heart. Diana, however, is not afraid to be forthright. "I love you," she confesses to him and then connects with a vicious left cross. With each punch thrown and each bout fought, Diana grows, both as a boxer and as a woman.
This hard-to-find film (currently playing in 28 theatres nationwide and only at the Mazza Gallerie in DC) is satisfying fare with gritty performances and an efficient plot line. In fact, this film received high recognition at last winter's Sundance Film Festival, splitting the top dramatic prize and winning the best-directing award. Its struggling class milieu is reminiscent of film's like "Flashdance" and "Saturday Night Fever," which is a style seldom seen in today's Hollywood productions. In fact, there is a noticeably unglamorous and homegrown feel to this film that lends to its charm. Brooklyn accents are heavy, the picture is grainy, the sound is tinny (when the letter 's' is used, the hissing sound is inescapable), and you can always hear the neighborhood's ambient sounds of horns, barking dogs, car alarms and sirens. It also does well at conveying the intensity of the fights, using quick edits and a flurry of staccato notes. This method is simple, yet effective. And so is the movie. "Girlfight" keeps its balance, maintains its intensity, and comes out ahead in the end.
Grade: B
S: 1 out of 3 L: 2 out of 3 V: 1 out of 3
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