By Rosa Dunford, First Year, French and Politics
The powerful and inspiring story of Christy Martin is unfortunately squandered in David Michôd's Christy, a biographical sports drama starring Sydney Sweeney. The film sets out to tell the story of a woman who broke down barriers in an otherwise male-dominated sport and, while it successfully portrays the intensity of boxing, it struggles to move beyond the conventional beats of a sports biopic and does not fully address the theme of domestic abuse that is central to Martin’s story.
Christy Martin, known as the Coal Miner's Daughter due to her upbringing by a coal-mining family in Mullens, West Virginia, skyrocketed to fame as a result of a string of high-profile boxing successes and she soon became a pioneer of female boxing. While Martin was untouchable inside the ring, she was a victim in her own home as her husband and trainer, Jim Martin (Ben Foster), controlled and abused her while profiting from her accomplishments.
Sydney Sweeney’s transformation into Martin is undeniably impressive on a physical level. Sweeney trained with a boxing coach for over three months and this is visible through the grit and immediacy of the fight sequences. Sweeney throws herself into the role with determination, and this physical commitment paired with the emotional depth we see in Christy's more vulnerable moments, have earned her buzz for a Best Actress Oscar nomination.
Despite Sweeney’s efforts, and the convincing portrayal of evil Jim Martin by Foster, the conventional sports drama clichés of training montages and milestones makes for a predictable narrative that feels too safe given the groundbreaking nature of Martin’s achievements. The actual boxing is a series of near identical scenes in which Martin is shown to win almost every time, which is both inaccurate to Martin’s journey and less interesting for viewers. Michôd would have done better to put more emphasis on the cultural phenomenon of rising female athletes as a result of Martin’s success, or her personal journey as a domestic rights advocate following Jim Martin’s jailing for her attempted murder.
Michôd also fails to effectively portray the character development of Christy Martin as she navigates her success, sexuality and contribution to female boxing. We see no explanation for her motivations to box other than the fact she's ‘good at it’ and key events in Christy Martin's real life, such as the childhood sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of a neighbour, is left out of the film, making it harder for the audience to understand what drives her.
The abuse perpetrated by Jim Martin, which included forcing Christy to make pornographic videos, only begins quite late on in the film and is presented as part of the changing dynamics of their relationship rather than ongoing and systematic psychological coercion. The character of Jim Martin seems to be of more interest to Michôd, and the audience ends up far more interested in his twisted and violent tendencies than in the inner struggles and turmoil of Christy herself.
The premier of the film garnered a lot of publicity, but this is mainly due to it coinciding with the release of an American Eagle advertisement in which Sydney Sweeney praised her own ‘great genes’, leading some to accuse her of promoting white supremacy. The ensuing boycott of Christy is unfortunate, especially with the real Martin noting that, ‘This isn’t Sydney Sweeney’s story. This is Christy Martin’s story..the people they’re hurting are the ones who maybe would have come to the cinema who are in a domestic violence situation, who are dealing with their sexuality.’
Orla Ruane
In the end, Christy relies on a familiar sports narrative that does not fully investigate Martin’s real fight: to escape from domestic abuse and make peace with her sexuality. Martin’s trailblazing ascent made space for other female boxers and this, combined with her bravery in battling domestic violence, represents her true victories. For those hoping for a daring portrait of Christy Martin’s internal conflicts, this film sadly disappoints.
Featured Image: IMDb / Christy | Illustration by Epigram / Sophia Izwan
What did you think of Christy?
