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<\/p>\nChristy, 2025.<\/p>\n
Directed by David Mich\u00f4d.
Starring Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster, Katy O\u2019Brian, Merritt Wever, Ethan Embry, Chad L. Coleman, Tony Cavalero,\u00a0 Jess Gabor, Valyn Hall, Cole Pedigo, Bryan Hibbard and Marvin LaViolette.<\/p>\n
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SYNOPSIS<\/p>\n
Born in West Virginia \u2014 her nickname, \u201cCoal Miner\u2019s Daughter,\u201d derives from her father\u2019s profession \u2014 Christy (Sweeney) excelled at sports and attended college on a basketball scholarship. In the late 1980s, she starts fighting in \u2014 and winning \u2014 \u201cToughwoman\u201d contests before beginning training with boxing coach Jim Martin (Foster) and embarking on what will prove to be a hugely successful career in a still-nascent sport.<\/p>\n
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A biopic of female boxer Christy Salters could have been broken down to her accomplishments in the field of boxing, but director David Mich\u00f4d explores much more than that in Christy\u00a0which sees Sydney Sweeney in a transformative role as the groundbreaking boxer.\u00a0Christy\u00a0delves into both her boxing career and the toxic relationship she found herself in with her trainer turned husband Jim Martin that nearly ended her life. Mich\u00f4d\u2019s direction and Sweeney\u2019s performance are stellar throughout this dramatic film that pulls the audience into her plight.<\/p>\n
Christy\u00a0follows the title boxer as she begins her career as an amateur fighter into the most successful female boxer of the 1990s, spurring the inclusion of women to be taken just as seriously as men\u2019s boxing. However, Christy, who was a closeted lesbian at the time, became entrapped in a toxic relationship with her trainer and manager Jim Martin which was physically and psychologically abusive.<\/p>\n
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Sweeney delivers a powerhouse performance as Christy, showing all the nuances of her confidence, uncertainty, fear and strength of character. Not only did Sweeney manage with the emotional weight of Christy\u2019s story, but this was a very physically demanding role which she captured very well. Between the training and boxing sequences, Sweeney\u2019s physicality is clear as she dances around the ring and gives some sass to her opponents. It is quite a different role than we\u2019ve seen Sweeney usually embody through Euphoria\u00a0or\u00a0Anyone But You, showcasing the scope of her caliber.<\/p>\n
The chemistry she has with Ben Foster is well done too with Foster giving a very eerie performance as Christy\u2019s trainer and husband Jim. The red flags were there to begin with, but only get worse as the film goes on and Foster conveys the levels of abusive manipulation to both Christy and her family, culminating in a very shocking climax that shows the coldness of his character.<\/p>\n
The supporting cast is likewise stellar with Merritt Wever as Christy\u2019s very devout mother and Katy O\u2019Brian as Christy\u2019s boxing rival Lisa Holewyne as standouts. The chemistry between Sweeney and O\u2019Brian is well done in the subtleties of what they can and cannot say with O\u2019Brian showing through her body language and eyes what she\u2019s really feeling in moments with Sweeney. Jess Gabor plays an old love interest of Christy\u2019s and the two also share an intimacy that is more implied than it is spoken. A real scene stealer, however, is Chad L. Coleman as legendary fight promoter Don King being both hilarious with King\u2019s many eccentricities and authoritative with his commanding presence.<\/p>\n
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Mich\u00f4d directs very competently in his pacing of the story and emphasis on Christy\u2019s emotional vulnerability. The choreography of the boxing sequences are well shot and edited, showing both how tough Christy could be and the intensity of the ring. Mich\u00f4d also leaves some of the more disturbing aspects of Christy and Jim\u2019s relationship left to the imagination, letting the implication of certain scenes or sounds provide more tension than showing any of the violence would.<\/p>\n
Christy\u00a0delivers great performances from Sweeney, Foster and the rest of the cast while emphasizing the damage of Christy\u2019s marriage as well as her accomplishments in boxing. Mich\u00f4d\u2019s direction conveys the strength of Christy\u2019s character and the pain she went through well with well shot visuals and choreography.<\/p>\n
Flickering Myth Rating \u2013 Film: \u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \/ Movie: \u2605 \u2605 \u2605 \u2605<\/p>\n
Christy can be viewed at the Toronto International Film Festival and will be released in theatres on November 7th.<\/p>\n