In my recent interview with Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison (the first female ever nominated in that category), we talked about the many influences leading up to her directorial debut, hard-hitting boxing drama The Fire Inside. One of the first names she mentioned was Ryan Coogler, who she worked with on Fruitvale Station and Black Panther. But it’s another film of Coogler’s, one that Morrison was not a part of, from which she seems to have drawn some inspiration. That would be the pure electricity and ferocity of Coogler’s Creed movies, with Morrison perfectly capturing the energy of single combat in the ring and the high stakes of scrapping to survive outside of it.
Singer/actress Ryan Destiny gives a revelatory performance as Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, the Flint, Michigan native who overcame an impoverished upbringing to fight her way to the 2012 Olympics, where she became the first American female athlete to win gold for boxing. Shields accomplished this at the ripe young age of 17, an extraordinary fact made more incredible by the struggle she faced. Formerly titled Flint Strong, the film is about so much other than winning championship titles and gold medals. Growing up in Flint, a downtrodden city even before the eventual water crisis that became a national disgrace, Claressa dealt with an abusive and addicted mother, an absent father, and a couple of younger kids she was largely responsible for. The day-to-day was tough, but Claressa found escape in the boxing program established by her coach, Jason (Brian Tyree Henry, in another superb supporting role), a former boxer who had never let females work in his gym before. But a stubborn and obviously talented Claressa won him over. She had a lot of rage to use as fuel in the ring, and use it she did.
Morrison has the benefit of a screenplay by Oscar-winning Moonlight director Barry Jenkins, the second film from him in a week following Mufasa: The Lion King. Jenkins’ gift for drawing out emotional connections between his characters helps flesh out The Fire Inside beyond the factoids of the PBS documentary it is adapted from. The relationship between Claressa and Jason is heartfelt but never tugs at the heartstrings manipulatively. He’s a kind but impassioned trainer who often has to deal with an ungrateful and ornery Claressa. A guy eking out a living himself, with a family to care for at home, Jason understands her anger and makes some allowances for it. He clearly sees something of himself in Claressa which is why he’s become so drawn to making her the best. When the chance to fight at the Olympics arises, he’s there right by her side…sort of.
The Fire Inside shows the barriers put in front of someone like Claressa that others didn’t have to deal with. She had to fight against women older, larger, and more experienced than her without the direct aid of her coach, since Jason was neither a sanctioned coach nor could he afford to fly out there and miss work. Claressa also had to deal with the unfair expectations to be something she’s not, and molded into the idea of what a female Olympic athlete should be. Dress nicer, smile more, fight differently; all things Claressa had to think about that had nothing to do with boxing her way. In essence, give up all of the things that brought her to the dance in the first place.
What separates The Fire Inside is that it’s not about the quest to win at the Olympics, but about life after it. While other medal-winning athletes are raking in endorsement deals, it wasn’t the same for female boxers at the time and certainly not someone like Claressa who doesn’t fit the mold. Returning home to Flint as a hometown hero, it wasn’t long before she was right back where she started; scrounging for food and money like everyone else. There’s the glint of appreciation when someone recognizes her, quickly followed by the embarrassment of being recognized in the unemployment line, or at the pawn shop where gold medals might fetch a good price.
It should go without saying that The Fire Inside looks tremendous and not like a streaming effort, despite its home at Amazon MGM. Morrison enlisted Euphoria DP Rina Yang to capture that Flint grittiness, as well as the polish of big-time Olympic sports. Destiny and Henry’s performances gel perfectly as people who have both been molded to be tough and defensive, yet must learn to put their guards down to achieve greatness. The Fire Inside is a knockout sports drama and a film about staying in the fight when life starts throwing punches.
The Fire Inside opens in theaters on Christmas Day.
