The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony follows its subjects as they train for the tryouts. It also shows factors that stop them, like marriage, either through arranged marriage or elopements. Aside from marriage, The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony also exposes another hurdle against these athletes. Machar Colony is home to Bengali Pakistanis who don’t have passports. Sonia needs a passport to travel to competitions. There are class divides becoming apparent, but nothing Sonia can’t handle.

Change is slow in Machar Colony, but the film shows it’s possible. To help contextualize that change is human rights lawyer Tahera Hasan, narrating the movie. She talks about most of the children coming to a makeshift school where everyone is welcome. The athletic, young interviewees in The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony are Anwara, Kiran, and Sonia. Half an hour in, Kiran elopes, forcing Anwara to arrange a marriage, keeping her safe. The documentary handles arranged marriages with nuance as well as how it affects Sonia’s emotions.

The rest of The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony show the regional competitions that Sonia enters. She does an imperfect routine to a Bridgerton classical music edit but sticks the landing anyway. She gets applause from her fellow contestants, judges, and teammates, the judges being enigmatic.

Being talented helps Sonia get in the door but The Gymnasts gets to another hurdle. That hurdle is Sonia’s status within Pakistan, undocumented despite being born in her beautiful country. It also doesn’t help that her parents don’t have IDs, making it harder for her. But again, the film reminds its viewers that Sonia can handle it. While having downtime during nationals, she talks about being a gymnast for nine whole years. The documentary itself is a marvel, a testament of what girls can be capable of.