Broken Ribs & A Director’s Debut: Bruised Review
In an era post-Rocky, the desire for boxing or cage fighting films rises and falls with time. In the last twenty years, we’ve seen some fight films standout at the box office, ranging from The Fighter, Warrior, Southpaw, and the most lucrative spinoff of Rocky, Creed. Amongst all of these releases, the market is even smaller with fight films centered on a female protagonist. The most notable project that defied the theatrical odds is Clint Eastwood’s, Million Dollar Baby, which went on to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.
Seventeen years later Halle Berry has taken a leap in her career by starring in her directorial debut Bruised. Bruised centers the story on Jackie Justice, a disgraced MMA fighter barely surviving each day unless there’s a bottle close by. Suddenly she’s faced with the reality of having to get her life together in the face of her demons when her 6-year-old son, one she abandoned years ago, is planted on her doorstep to raise after his father had been murdered in front of him.
Throughout the film, Jackie habitually struggles in getting elements in her life to fall in line. She’s complacent in a toxic relationship until she’s struck in the face by her boyfriend/former manager Desi, just to move on to a relationship with her trainer Bobbi, when she’s clearly not ready. Her son Manny struggles to communicate with anyone and understand the behaviors of his mother, Jackie. There’s not a moment in this film that feels similar to other character arcs where the character is chaotic in the beginning, takes steps to get their life together, then suddenly a curveball is thrown at them and they must work towards hitting it out of the park.
When watching the film I was unable to have sympathy for Jackie’s behavior even when her childhood trauma of abuse by men and neglect from her mother was coming to light. I found myself constantly wondering when was Jackie going to take responsibility for her actions and stop discarding the last bit of people who still loved her. Though one could consider this arc similar to every day broken people, I believe this is a note where the character exposition could have been fleshed more in the script.
As for Berry’s direction for this story, a nod certainly needs to be given in regards to her dedication to pushing this film to be funded, featuring an all-female soundtrack, and showing up each day even with broken ribs. That’s right, Berry sustained several broken ribs while filming Bruised. Instead of halting production to recover, she instead took a weekend to try and relax before resuming filming on the following Monday.
The performances of each supporting actor felt raw and authentic as I was seeing these relationships unfold. At one point the chemistry between Jackie and Bobbi seemed sudden after escaping the abuse of Desi. But after careful evaluation, I realized it was spot on when broken people escape trauma, the tendency to latch onto a “savior” is natural.
Though Berry’s Bruised may not have been the greatest female-centered fight film since Million Dollar Baby, I believe it’s giving more room for these unconventional stories. Maybe one day the next feature can center on the current powerhouse fighters of today such as Amanda Nunes and Claressa Shields.
One of the immediate successes for Berry since Bruised release is the film sitting at #1 this week for the US and #2 globally. Berry is also entering a multi-picture film partnership with Netflix. Who knows, maybe more female-centered sports films are in Berry’s and Netflix’s future.
