A financially hard-up former boxer is driven to return to the ring to fund his girlfriend’s abortion, even as he sustains serious injuries, in this downbeat, impressively shot drama from Slovakian director Ivan Ostrochovsky. Non-professional actors add to the raw naturalism of the film, which stars Peter Balaz, a flyweight boxer who competed in the Olympics in the 90s. The breakthrough feature shows Ostrochovsky as one of central Europe’s strongest new filmmaking talents.
Carmen Gray
July 14, 2015