Film review: The Fire Inside – Based on the incredible true story of Claressa Shields
reviewed by Jill Jaracz
Running time: 1 hour 49 minutes
Amazon MGM Studios
Directed by Rachel Morrison
With over 10,000 athletes at an Olympics, it is inevitable that some stories are lost to history.
It is however rare for an Olympic Champion’s story not to be widely known throughout their home country, especially when the champion in question won gold at back to back Olympics. Even so, boxer Claressa Shields remained still a relative unknown in the United States and it is only now, 12 years after her first gold, that her story has gone ‘mainstream’ in The Fire Inside.
This is a “biopic” directed by Academy Award nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison.
It depicts the early life of Shields and the years leading to her first gold medal, which she won at London 2012 when she was still only 17.
Shields grew up in a struggling household in Flint, Michigan. It was a city that fell on hard times in the wake of the closure of many automotive factories. Shields’ family was one of many who struggled financially to meet basic living needs.
In the film, the young Claressa, played in her younger years by Kylee D. Allen and Jazmin Headley, arrives at the boxing gym run by coach Jason Crutchfield, played by Oscar nominee Brian Tyree Henry.He initially refuses to let her learn how to fight, but her persistence forces him to relent.
Ryan Destiny portrays the older Shields as she becomes a prodigy, but although her boxing career takes off, her home life suffers. Shields’ mother is unstable, though she at times attempts to pull herself together and parent her children.
There is one striking scene where the mother surprises her children by having breakfast cereal in the house, but then it is realised that she’s forgotten the milk.
Shields is often left to care for her siblings, and she frequently butts heads with her mother. After one too many fights, Claressa is kicked out. Her coach takes her in and provides the stability she needs to focus on her sport and achieve excellence.
As Shields enters the world of international sport, she becomes disillusioned with the demands placed on her as a female athlete. She’s expected to “glam up” but also to accept a lower purse than male fighters, even though she’s outperforming them.
In many ways, A Fire Inside is a typical story of an underdog who goes on to win gold, but to director Morrison’s credit, the movie does not end with Shields’ victory in London.
It reveals the aftermath of the Games and how a gold medal is not the gateway to wealth for many Olympians. Endorsements and sponsorships do not come her way, but the movie shows the post-Olympic ‘blues’ and financial struggles that many face.
Morrison and Destiny both learned how to box for the movie. Morrison did so to better choreograph the fight scenes. In these, Destiny performed in the ring herself against actual fighters. The resulting scenes put viewers into a realistic world where they can feel the action.
Destiny brings toughness and vulnerability to her role, and the dynamic between her character and that of her coach elevates this movie above the standard biopic.
The movie does however, rely heavily on training montages and sometimes loses track of whether it’s the story of Shields’ story or more about her coach. Her rise through the boxing world is shown so quickly that it can be difficult to follow her ascent to the Olympic stage.
Once Shields punches her ticket to London, the movie seems unable to decide what story it wants to tell. Is it Shields winning gold, pay inequalities between male and female athletes, or the unfair expectations placed on female athletes to emphasize their femininity?
That said, the film does stay true to Shields’ story and tells it honestly in one hour and 49 minutes on screen. The result is a very good biopic that’s worth watching.
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