Down, But Not Out!

I'm a huge sports enthusiast and love boxing in general, it's a sport that is not only physically demanding but a mental contest as well, so when I saw the trailer to this showcasing women boxing, I couldn't wait to watch the film. What I liked about Down but Not Out was the rawness of boxing. I like how the director was able to catch on film first the men's bouts and then the women's. The contrast between them makes you wonder, as an outsider, why women would participate in such an aggressive combative sport. It also made me understand and appreciate a woman boxer, showing a true test of her physical strength, mental alertness and courage. The coach was also amazing, you could see he invested his heart and soul into the training of his boxers.

I saw this film last night on the cinema, with two of my best girlfriends, and even if it was a very simple and straight documentary movie, it remained in my head till this morning, when I decided that I should write some words about it. The IMDb wall was empty, so here I am. I'm not a film critic, but I am a film lover; especially I like documentaries cause real life subjects touch me more than fiction. Down, But Not Out! (Perfect title by the way) resumes in 70m the 24 hours that four women (all amateur) and their Coach, as they step for the first time into a boxing ring. Coach Prezmek surprised me by the way he treats each girl individually, as he seems to know how to touch the right buttons before each one of them faces their first fight. As a woman, I was touched by the sensibility of this man. The up-close camera work, and the absence of "talking heads", allows the audience to witness and relate to his mental and emotional connection to each fighter (and they are so different from each other) as he pushes them to fight their own limits. The stark black-and-white photography creates a unique documentary realism which works alongside with a beautiful and tense musical score that draws the audience on this characters study journey. It's haunting, tense, and by the end, the final words of the Coach will leave you wondering about the essence of fighting with a straight relation to our daily life struggles, whether we are boxers or not. 10 out of 10!

Had the opportunity to watch this after a friend recommended it to me. I thought it was pretty cool to follow what an amateur woman boxer goes up against in a competition in Poland. I don't know a lot about boxing so it was interesting to see how the film captured the hours before the fight. I think what I liked most about this documentary was that it didn't feel like a documentary. There were no interviews, it just followed the boxers and their coach into a competition and I watched as the events unfolded. It was a different approach that I surprisingly enjoyed very much. Also I must add, I normally do not go for the black and white films but this one kept my attention to the end.

I've started following this director since he worked with one of the Polish actors I most admire and respect, Piotr Adamczyk. When I write following, I'm not meaning in a positive way, once this first "Second Life" (2009), was an absolute non-sense in on hand, while on the other a skillful directing was note worthy. After watching it, I really wanted to understand if indeed he would had a "second" chance to direct again. By 2013, I saw a extremely good surprise, again working side by side with a great Polish Actress, Agata Kulesza, called Desire for Beauty", but this time, instead following fiction he had turned to the documentary genre. In fact this second film, but first documentary, had the honest intentions in bringing some light to the shaded theme of "plastic surgery", were the skin was more than flesh and had some true human textures. Simple and honest, good but sometimes unbalanced, but indeed took me to the ride and will not be a movie that soon I will forget with god memories in my head. As I enter the smallest cinema room, of a multiplex cinema, were the New film (Down, But Not Out!) was opening, I question to myself what was coming ahead, once I had only seen a B&W poster with red titles that reminded me so much of my beloved Scorsese's "Ranging Bull". This made be prepared for the worst! But, and a B on the but, once the film started I was pulled in as the beautiful imagery that was presented to me was echoing in sync with the amazing soundtrack from this name to follow called Vincent Lagadrilliere. Down, But Not Out! is from this pure rawness that resonates from the true deep of the filmmakers as a simple camera guides you thought the raw reality of amateur box. It's a delight to follow during the 70m (for me felt short, would like to see more), were you just feel there, along with the fighters and a inspiring young coach that trough the victories and failures of one day models them in aspiring young fighters, still with a long road ahead. This small but to the point documentary is full of heart, tension, grip, frustration and a lot of surprises and I will not write mores to avoid bringing up spoilers. It has my 10.

It's cool, fresh, maybe even a little "rebel". Truth matters, the whole setup, it's just a lonely follow up of an ordinary day, in this case, alongside a group of amateurs boxers. But the outcome, as all return home, will have changes in their future life's. Overall the film is compelling, the score fits the B&W, giving it the right "tone" from the start. It's not too long, and ends in a very positive way; even if for "all" not "all" goes like it was planned... Beating the unexpected I guess is what life is and here, each player faces it, as the day and fights move along. A word about the coach, as he makes so much the film, he works like a gear moving through the personalities of each player. My favorite girl was Daria, ouch, she is something sweet.