Female boxing is a hard sport to watch. Any sport where women beat each other up is really. Even films depicting the sport can cause you to flinch and turn away at times. It’s the brutality of it. Yet there is still something compelling about female martial arts that makes us want to keep watching. The same can be said about the new film Christy.
Christy tells the story of Christy Martin (Sydney Sweeney), the woman who arguably helped bring female boxing into the lime light. The thing is though, Christy isn’t so much about the sport as it is about perseverance and being true to yourself. It’s also about never giving up, no matter what happens to you. This includes spousal abuse, attempted murder, and interfering parents. There’s a line near the end of the movie when Christy is giving her victim statement that defines the film perfectly. “You stabbed me, you shot me, you left me for dead on the bedroom floor.” Even after all that she got back up. While not as severe, Sweeney must have also felt similar struggles in her life, especially this year.
Sweeney has had quite the year. Christy could change that however. Her portrayal of Christy Martin is nothing short of dynamic.
Christy tells a powerful story while delivering a strong message. It’s one of the top films of the year, and like the women at the centre of it (both Martin herself and Sweeney), it’s impossible to ignore.
- Rated: Unrated
- Genre: Biography, Drama, sport
- Directed by: David Michôd
- Starring: Ben Foster, Ethan Embry, Katy O'Brian, Sydney Sweeney
- Produced by: Brent Stiefel, David Michôd, Justin Lothrop, Kerry Kohansky-Roberts, Sydney Sweeney, Teddy Schwarzman
- Written by: David Michôd, Mirrah Foulkes
- Studio: Anonymous Content, Black Bear Pictures, Fifty-Fifty Films, Votiv Films, Yoki
