Table of Contents Back Issues Homepage December 1, 2000     Laura Weinstock's Feminist Film Takes                             "Girlfight" pulls no punches   "Girlfight," an independent film written and directed by Karyn Kusama, is a feminist flick. In a world where women directors remain a tiny minority, I try to support female filmmakers -- especially when they tackle gender-bending or otherwise controversial material. In this case, I was eager to see the film, not just because it shows what I hoped would be a tough looking woman boxer. I also went for another reason: Kusama worked closely for two years with one of my favorite directors, John Sayles. If you've never seen his movies, you're in for a treat - I highly recommend "The Secret of Roan Inish," "Passion Fish" and "Lianna." They're all on video and they're all very feminist. ("The Secret of Roan Inish" is one of the best-made, beautiful, complex and moving films I've ever seen.) How is it that Sayles manages to be a feminist filmmaker yet also a man? Clearly, he's an unusual person. But part of his secret is his close association with Maggi Renzi, producer of many of his movies. Renzi is also a producer of "Girlfight." Kusama may be a novice, but she's had great mentors. "Girlfight" doesn't disappoint. It isn't a masterpiece, but it certainly delivers. First there's newcomer, Michelle Rodriguez. We get to see her angry, sullen, glowering looks. Most actresses, whether by upbringing or at the request of their directors can't do anger. If they do, it's done with a stereotypical feminine flourish that wouldn't faze a fly. Not Rodriquez. Her Diana Guzman may become a featherweight boxer but she is a heavy weight at anger. Diana has her reasons too. Her mother is dead. Her sexist Dad ignores her except when he criticizes her for not making dinner or wearing a dress. He also used to beat Diana's mother. Diana's anger is like a live wire. The principal of her high school warns her, "one more fight and you'll be expelled." We see Diana beat up a highly made-up girl who insults Diana's more plain-looking friend. Diana's loyalty may be admirable but I would have preferred to see Diana pick on male bullies instead. There would have been more symmetry if she had knocked around some guy beating up his girlfriend, for example. But Diana's just angry, not controlled. Until she finds boxing. Her Dad has been paying for Diana's brother to take boxing lessons. Her brother, small and sensitive, likes to draw pictures, not box. But he's scared of Dad. Little bro hopes he can appease Dad, even please Dad, by keeping on with the lessons. Diana, on the other hand, goes to the gym one night and finds her calling. She convinces an old crusty trainer to take her on and steals money from her Dad to pay him. She trains hard. A muscled physique emerges. She stops fighting in school and starts boxing real matches in the ring. There aren't too many women boxers, so the regulations allow her to fight men. Which she does quite well. She's a natural, with more desire to win than any of the men she meets, including a guy who becomes her boyfriend. She takes him on at the end of the movie. The film's greatest weakness is Rodriguez's voice. Her physique is amazing. Her punches are powerful. Her body language is as convincing as Lucy Lawless's Xena, the toughest female fighter I've ever seen on TV or in film. But when Rodriguez speaks, toughness vanishes. Her voice is weak, dainty, timid. All the things Diana is not. Too bad Rodriguez's training was all about her right hook. Perhaps with time, this unproven actress can acquire some depth and heft in her voice. The other main flaw occurs in the scene where Diana confronts her Dad. Although illuminating (we learn Diana's take on why her mother died) and satisfying to some degree (Diana is no longer a helpless child but much deadlier than Dad) there was something missing. It wasn't clear to me what the filmmaker really thought about Diana's violence. Did she think it was justified for Diana to pulverize her father? Did the past condone the present? Is this a good message to be perpetuating? Maybe, maybe not. Even I, who have spent my life trying to empower women and kids in the face of male violence, wasn't convinced that the scene rang true. I needed a little more background, a little bit more of Diana's character to shine through. Diana doesn't compromise, not in life, not in love. Ultimately, this is how "Girlfight" most differs from standard Hollywood fare. Diana doesn't pull her punches and she doesn't put on lipstick to tone this down. Her boyfriend isn't Diana's main purpose for existence. But she does love him. She hopes, in the aftermath of their boxing match, that he can still love her back. In the end, he has to decide for himself if the rigid male code of honor is more important than his feelings for Diana. How striking to see a film that focuses on a woman boxer whose passion and talent were created by her healthy rebellion against misogyny. Diana's ringside bouts are far easier than the life battles she wages in an unjust world. Without losing that focus for a minute, director Kusama shows us how compulsory gender norms also hurt men. What a compelling argument for change!   Laura Weinstock reviews movies regularly for AWe. Her reviews are also published in Sonoma County Women's Voices.