Directed by David Michôd
Written by Mirrah Foulkes, David Michôd
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster, Merrit Wever, Katy O’Brian

In real life, most people on the outside only get a glimpse of spousal abuse. As outsiders, we only see what leaks out beyond closed doors. But there is a bigger picture: the grooming, the control, the emotional and physical abuse, the violence. Very seldom do we get the full story of how such a relationship grows or festers over time, even decades. In the biographical boxing drama Christy, director/writer Michôd and Foulkes (from Katherine Fugate’s story) attempt to dramatize the arc of Christy Martin’s (Sweeney) rise to boxing fame, all the while being manipulated by her controlling and abusive trainer/husband (Foster).

Daughter of a coal miner, Christy Salters is a natural-born fighter. So much so that she often gets into fights on the basketball court. A closet lesbian, she is dating one of her teammates, which causes tension with homophobic members of her team, as well as her conservative, backwards-thinking mother (Wever).

After winning a local amateur boxing match, Christy is noticed by a promoter and eventually introduced to Jim Martin, who becomes her trainer. Her transition to boxing is fruitful, winning her bouts with ease. They eventually start an intimate relationship and later conveniently marry, spurred on by Jim’s desire to control every aspect of Christy’s life.

As a team, they are successful. The trash-talking and Don King-backed Christy Martin is dubbed the “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” and her career takes off in the public eye. Personally, however, under the duress of Jim’s violent and manipulative control, Christy’s life and career start to unravel.

While it’s tough to compress a person’s life story in 135 minutes, the filmmakers do a commendable job in showing Christy’s evolution from a young athletic misfit turned champ and domestic abuse victim. Germain McMicking’s cinematography and Matt Villa’s editing add to the realism and pace of the film.

Sweeney is fantastic, almost effortlessly transforming herself into the character, leaving behind all traces of her glamorous, sex-symbolized celebrity. It’s an Oscar-caliber performance, though a hard watch at times because of the subject matter, but a worthy one nonetheless.

Ben Foster’s performance as Jim Martin should also be noted as a factor in the film’s emotional impact. All of the characters’ flawed natures are displayed without too much exposition, but some come off as a little one-dimensional (Christy’s parents, for example).

But the filmmakers decidedly made Christy Martin the film’s focal point, and with Sweeney’s impressive performance, “Christy” works amid any shortcomings it may have. This real-life account of Christy Martin is a riveting, incredible story—and an important one, especially for its realistic portrayal of abuse. Recommended.

Have you seen CHRISTY? Well, what do you think?

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