A teenage boxer sets her sights on the Olympics in The Fire Inside. Though backed by a passionate coach, with limited resources and mounting family responsibilities, can one girl break amateur boxing’s hardest glass ceiling?
The Fire Inside
Rachel Morrison (director), Barry Jenkins (writer), Rina Yang (cinematography), Harry Yoon (editor)
Ryan Destiny, Brian Tyree Henry (cast)
September 7, 2024 (TIFF)
The Fire Inside tells the true story of Claressa Shields (Ryan Destiny) who at 17 became the USA’s first Olympic gold medalist in boxing since 1988, and the only woman to hold that title for the USA. Trained by her coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry), Claressa perfects her boxing skills to go where no USA women’s boxer had gone before. But her journey to the Olympics and her victory is only part of the story. Because not all athletes are treated the same. Some can lose and be on the top of the world. Others can win, make their country proud, and still struggle to pay rent.
I watched the world premiere of The Fire Inside at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). I love sports films so this was a no-brainer for me. And a sports film about a woman athlete? Sign me up! I’m glad to say that the film turned out to be the best film I’ve caught at TIFF 2024 so far.
I don’t usually hold much store by the credits of the cast and crew when watching a film. Every film is a new experience, and bad or good, films take a great deal of effort to make so you never know what the final product is going to be like until the screen flickers on. But I couldn’t help but have high expectations of this film. Barry Jenkins, Oscar-winner for Moonlight, wrote and produced this film. Rachel Morrison directed it, and she’s a cinematographer who knows about breaking glass ceilings, seeing as she was the first woman nominated for cinematography at the Oscars for 2017’s Mudbound. Then there’s Brian Tyree Henry in a starring role, and I have yet to see Henry do a bad job in anything he’s ever been in, no matter how atrocious his co-stars may be.
The cast and crew deliver in spades. The Fire Inside is a polished film. But more than that, it’s a thoughtful film. The detail that’s gone into every scene is testament to the passion project it is. The writing and direction are crisp but not contrived. The performances are so realistic, it didn’t feel like I was watching actors at all. The set design evokes homes and gyms that will be familiar to anyone in sports in North America. Beautiful cinematography by Rina Yang captures Flint, Michigan just before the water crisis was uncovered, as well as the tight quarters Claressa calls home.
The Fire Inside has an incredible true story to work with, and it uses that foundation to build a powerful story about resilience in the face of systemic adversity. The film highlights the trying circumstances Shields was in at the time of the Olympics. Just 17 and the sole earner of her family, Shields parented herself from a young age as her mother busied herself hosting parties. While Sheilds’s contemporaries had no responsibilities, as well as oodles of staff to take care of their needs, Shields was working, going to school, and training for the Olympics. Winning a gold medal wasn’t just a dream, it was a necessity. For Shields, the gold medal wouldn’t symbolize her achievements; instead, it would bring her the recognition and financial means to help her family get by. That is a ton of responsibility for a teenager.
While the adversity in Shields’ life make it easy to root for her, I love how The Fire Inside doesn’t shy away from showing that Shields didn’t, and still doesn’t, care if people like her. Boxing is all Shields wants to do, but she also really likes to win. In a scene early on in the film, Shields is an absolute sourpuss during an interview. Why? Because the margin of victory wasn’t large enough. The story imbues Shields with so much personality, that even when she’s being stubborn and fighting with her coach, she’s a delight to watch. You can’t help but root for her to win, not just in boxing, but at life.
The Fire Inside could have been a regular underdog sports story. But this film knows that the gold medal win isn’t the be-all-and-end-all for athletes, at least not for many women of colour. Shields and Crutchfield keep being told how unmarketable women’s boxing is because it’s too aggressive and unladylike. I may not be a fan of boxing, but anybody who has followed any type of women’s sport will recognise this story while simultaneously raging against such ludicrous notions.
What elevates this film from the others I’ve seen at TIFF this year is the editing. Editor Harry Yoon and Morrison get the beats perfect. No scene lingers too long, nor does any scene feel unrealistically short. Every moment in this film earns its place and keeps the audience riveted.
I must mention that alongside the strong story, the music in The Fire Inside is to die for. I cannot wait for the soundtrack to be released because every song had me moving in my seat.
Beyond the story, cinematography, and music, at the beating heart of The Fire Inside is a powerhouse performance by newcomer Ryan Destiny, and long may she continue to act because what a find she is. Having no boxing experience at all, as Destiny mentioned to a screaming audience at TIFF, she had an exhausting training schedule to prepare her for the role. She could’ve fooled me that she wasn’t a real boxer. But we know she did a really good job because the real Claressa Shields, who attended the premiere, was equally impressed. Now that’s high praise.
I would probably say this about every film that Henry is in, but his work in The Fire Inside is astounding. I really do think he’s one of the best male actors at the moment. He makes every line of dialogue feel so real, like a conversation one would have with their best friend. The way he reacts to situations, you know instantly where his character is coming from and why it makes perfect sense for him to react that way. Variety is already gunning for an Oscar for him, and I have to agree. This might be Henry’s best performance yet.
Henry and Destiny have such an easy coach-fighter chemistry that I was astounded to learn Henry wasn’t originally cast as Crutchfield. Before the film’s shooting was shut down in 2020 because of the pandemic, Ice Cube had the role. What Henry and Destiny bring to The Fire Inside is a harmony that I rarely see in films. They play off each other so well that every scene seems like a natural progression of their characters’ relationship and not a well-rehearsed scene.
For her directorial debut, Morrison has crafted a masterpiece that captures so many aspects of the sporting world: women athletes’ fight for equality, as well as the systemic issues that prevent brilliant athletes of colour from getting the recognition they deserve. Building on a foundation of a powerful true story, Jenkins crafts a heart-pumping story that is delivered with precision through stunning performances from newcomer Destiny and Henry. I want to watch this film again, and I want everyone to watch with me because this is cinema.
