filmGlist.co.uk
‘The sort of ferocity we were looking for is very difficult to find in female actors’
KARYN KUSAMA moved to New York City and took up boxing. Now she’s made female boxer movie Girlfight. The List went a few rounds with her to find out why. Words: Miles Fielder
attempt to strike a blow for men: women don‘t have the natural clout of an Ali or a La Motta. though. do they'.’ ‘We‘re trained to believe that‘s true.‘ counters Karyn Kusama. effortlessly. sitting calm and composed in the shade of a palm tree in Cannes at which film festival (Hr/fight received its liuropean premiere. ‘If you're given the opportunity to express yourself in that way. it can feel quite freeing to be encouraged to hit other people. It‘s not necessarily the healthiest thing I‘ve heard of . . . Aggression is a part of human nature and to assume it‘s only the province of men is a little foolish.‘ 'l‘hirtysomething. intelligent and articulate. Kusama continues: ‘Boxing‘s one of our greatest sports. It‘s a very pure expression of an athlete’s ability. It creates a set of rules that the outside world doesn't seem to have an easy time enforcing for itself. People who use lighting as a means to survive will use it in or out of the ring. and it‘s better that it
‘Aggression is a part of human nature and to assume it’s only the provrnce of men is a little foolish’
be in. The sport is so dramatic in itself. there‘s a simplicity to the ring. it has a classical feeling to it.‘ Like the best boxing films. from I948‘s The Set- Up to Raging [full to Kusama's favourite. Fat City. (iii'Ttig/it is about more than the sport itself. The ring offers Kusaina‘s teenage protagonist. Diana. something neither school nor her dysfunctional home life have: a sense of self-worth. And like last year‘s American indie success story. Boys Don't Cry. Cir/fight scooped prizes at the Sundance Film Festival and is the debut of a remarkably talented young female director (Kusama's an alumni of John Sayles‘ production team — he makes a cameo in her
24 THE LIST 12—26 Apr 2001
film). The film also sports an astonishing powerhouse performance froin 22-year—old l’uerto Rican- American new contender Michelle Rodriguez.
‘The sort of ferocity we were looking for is very difficult to find in female actors.‘ says Kusaina. ‘because there‘s such a premium placed on women‘s ability to please. accommodate. serve and be pretty. That didn’t serve my purposes at all. I wanted to create a character who had an iconic power. who had a basic. blunt. altnost stock character feeling the way Stanley Kowalski or 'l‘eri'y Malloy [Marlon Brando‘s characters in .'l Streetcar Numerl Desire and 0/1 The Hitter/rent] now have. I wanted to create that same presence but with a female character. l‘in traditional.
I like the idea of a heroine who is just a locomotive of
energy.‘
Diana (itllmttll certainly is that. but unlike Kowalski or Malloy she‘s neither self-destructive nor a victim. She doesn‘t just lind her feet in the ring. she also finds love. ‘In the ring you have an agreement with your opponent to work together toward a goal that‘s very uncertain.‘ says Kusarna. ‘You want to hurt someone else. but you also want to avoid being hurt. that‘s the primary goal in boxing. There's something about that agreement and then exchange of power that reminds me of intimate. romantic relationships at
their most raw. ln boxing there‘s a similar sense of
the necessity of experience in the moment: if you ‘ ‘ spend your time ,. 3 dwelling on " what i ti st happened you get into trouble. and if you spend your time anticipating the future you get into even bigger trouble. That‘s also a funny demand of love.‘ Kusaina is currently fending off l‘lollyyvood offers to do another sports film: instead she‘s working on what she terms a 'biotlogical) thriller". Meanwhile. the ferocious Rodriguez is training to become an international action movie heroine with two thrillers. 3 AM. and The first And The l‘iirr'mrs. under her belt. and a role in the forthcoming computer game adaptation. Resident Elf].
GFT, Glasgow; Cameo, Edinburgh from Fri 20 Apr. See review.
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