"CATCH THE FAIR ONE" // TRIBECA 2021
One of the biggest challenges in a boxing film is finding an actor who can successfully feel like a powerful fighter. Luckily, CATCH THE FAIR ONE doesn't have that problem, as it's cast Kali Reis, a real-life boxing champion in two weight classes. She immediately adds the authenticity that the film needs in order to focus on the harrowing subject that lays within. Reis plays Kaylee, a Native American boxer who is set to go undercover in an attempt to find her missing sister within a trafficking ring. She's been haunted by the memory of her sister and refuses to believe that she's gone, only that she's missing. She knows that no one is looking for her because she's just another Native girl, and that she's most likely the last hope she has in finding her. In fact, one character says just as much stating, "Nobodys looking for her because nobody cares."
Kaylee's journey is a tough one to watch, as we see Kaylee plunge into a very brutal underworld filled with some truly horrible people. She has a haunted history behind her eyes, pain in every step. Reis herself is an activist in real life, and the film explores a topic that's close to her heart. She herself works with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Movement (MMIW) and as a co-writer of this story, this adds yet another element of authenticity. There's been a good number of fighters turn to acting in the past several years, with varying degrees of success. And with such an important topic to address here, it's a relief that Reis turns in a heartbreaking and beautiful performance here. She's raw and fiery and every step feels like it's weighted with a thousand possible decisions. She's a one person army, but unlike a Hollywood style action hero, this is one that isn't guaranteed to make the ending credits feel so cathartic.
The film is often subtle and understated, brutal and broken with a muted cinematography by Ross Giardina. Telling a story from a Native point of view is also a most welcome viewpoint, as the film explores colonialism and the very real violence against Native women. Wladyka directs the film with a tense and powerful edge, keeping the action tight and sometimes even dreamlike. Being produced by Darren Aronofsky should give CATCH THE FAIR ONE the exposure it needs to be seen by a wider audience, as it deserves to be seen far and wide.
GRADE: A-
WRITTEN BY Josef Kubota Wladyka, Kali Reis DIRECTED BY Josef Kubota Wladyka STARRING Kali Reis, Daniel Henshall, Tiffany Chu, Michael Drayer, Kimberly Guerrero, Lisa Emery, Kevin Dunn SELECTED AS PART OF THE 2021 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: CATCH THE FAIR ONE