In the year 2000, no one knew of the name Karyn Kusama, and no one knew of her star Michelle Rodriguez either. However, after they both debuted with 2000’s Girlfight, they’d go on to make some incredibly intriguing pieces of film. Girlfight is certainly one of the best projects of their respective careers. While the film was nominated for three films at Cannes and won one (the Award of the Youth Foreign Film), it is clear why Girlfight has rightfully entered the Criterion Collection and deserves a place in the library amongst the great of the greats.
Michelle Rodriguez as Diana Guzman in Karyn Kusama’s GIRLFIGHT. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Before we dive into the packaging and the film itself, I want to talk about the fact that the release is a Blu-ray. Now, before we get into a big angry mash of words here (not from me, but I’m sure someone lurking on Reddit will be all “bah humbug we need 4K”). The Blu-ray (but presented in 1080p) restoration was supervised by Karyn Kusama and the director of photography Patrick Cady (Paint; XX). The presentation of the movie itself looks gorgeous, despite having that early gritty 2000s look. It is grainy and packed to the brim with energy and passion. Girlfight may look the best it ever has with this truly stunning and gritty presentation making its first-time appearance in the collection.
L-R: Michelle Rodriguez as Diana Guzman and Santiago Douglas as Adrian Sturges in Karyn Kusama’s GIRLFIGHT. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Girlfight focuses on Diana (Michelle Rodriguez) as she struggles between being relentlessly bullied and harassed by her father, Sandro (Paul Calderon), and not fitting in at school, resulting in her getting in constant fights at school with the looming threat of expulsion after her fourth fight with a classmate. However, not everything is as it seems off the bat as Diana is tired of having this unchanneled anger and cannot possibly take anymore of the crap she has to deal with. She joins a gym in her hometown of Brooklyn where she learns to box, thusly channeling her pent-up aggression and frustrations, and how to blow off steam in a constructive manner. This is where she meets Hector (Jamie Tierlli), who becomes her coach, and falls for a competing boxer, Adrian (Santiago Douglas). While tensions fly during the movie and their relationship, it is the magnetic performance from Michelle Rodriguez (The Fast and the Furious; Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) which transcends the screen and makes it one of the hardest-hitting movies that has potentially gone unseen.
R: Michelle Rodriguez as Diana Guzman in Karyn Kusama’s GIRLFIGHT. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Karyn Kusama (who, after Girlfight, directed Jennifer’s Body, The Invitation, and Destroyer, among others) crafted an incredible story focused on perseverance, determination, standing up for one’s self, and believing in yourself. With the masterful performances from Michelle Rodriguez, Santiago Douglas (El Cantante), Jamie Tirelli (Carlito’s Way), and Paul Calderon (21 Grams; The Last Castle), the film can be akin to Warrior (2011), which seemingly has borrowed a lot from Girlfight it seems. Truly, for a first-time watch, Girlfight completely blew me away and has changed the way I look at and will look at movies that are similar and clearly have taken the inspiration from Kusama’s debut. It’s truly one of the best fighter movies in the past 24 years (since its debut) and an important film that exemplifies that not everything is as it seems, and the power of wanting to make the best for oneself, breaking the mold, and destroying gender bias.
L-R: Jamie Tierlli as Hector Soto and Michelle Rodriguez as Diana Guzman in Karyn Kusama’s GIRLFIGHT. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Deep diving into the Criterion itself, the booklet that houses the essay(s) typically is on the lighter side of the bountiful amount that characteristically comes with Criterions, with one by Carmen Maria Machado, an interesting essay filled with information and insight. With the disk itself, there are three features included as well with one new feature that has been previously unreleased. The new features are two interviews, one with Karyn Kusama and one with the editor Plummy Tucker (Jennifer’s Body; The Invitation) and composer Theodore Shapiro (Jennifer’s Body; The Secret Life of Walter Mitty) discussing how Girlfight started their long working relationship. The legacy features that appear on the Criterion are the audio commentary featuring Karyn Kusama and a storyboard feature where Kusama breaks down two scenes in the movie. Overall, Girlfight might be lacking a little in the bonus department for the Criterion Collection, however, the restoration and the movie itself are more than worthy of being a part of one’s collection and on one’s shelf.
Girlfight Special Features:
- New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director Karyn Kusama and director of photography Patrick Cady, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- Audio commentary featuring Kusama
- “Body and Soul: Karyn Kusama on Girlfight,” a new program on the film by Alexandre O. Philippe
- Interviews with editor Plummy Tucker and composer Theodore Shapiro
- Storyboard-to-film comparison with commentary from Kusama
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by author Carmen Maria Machado
- New cover by Jillian Adel
Available on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection May 28th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Criterion Collection Girlfight webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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