T-Rex

Directors: Zachary Canepari and Drea Cooper

Claressa "T-Rex" Shields; a young, female boxer from Flint, Michigan, is the subject of directors Zachary Canepari and Drea Cooper's observant documentary T-Rex. What makes their film so emotionally engaging is its equal measures of heartbreak and triumph. T-Rex isn't another entry into the now popular sports docs genre one sees fairly regularly in any given cinematic year but a story that is sensitive to problems gripping a family in the once-thriving but now economically-distressed little sister of Detroit. If the documentary is about a young woman achieving a seemingly impossible dream, it is perceptive enough to see that realizing a dream isn't necessarily isn't the same thing as solving all of one's problems. And for a young, black woman from a city in perpetual decline, the problems she faces are always a persistent and aggressive threat.

We see Shields early on in the film; sparring in the ring. Her coach and father figure, Jason Crutchfield; a former professional boxer now trainer, is ever attentive.
We learn that Shields took to boxing at the age of eleven and under Crutchfield's tutelage, she became a national champion. If a documentary can be said to have a first act, then Shields' training for a spot on the fledgling U.S. woman's boxing team could be said to be just that. Her goal to box at the 2012 London Summer Olympics is a dream she pursues with a burning passion. The fact that she is a 16-year-old high school senior (at the time of filming) isn't an obstacle, but the stresses of living in Flint and contending with her mother's substance abuse problem, a father with a prison record and being thrust into the role of a mother to her dysfunctional family all threaten to derail her plans.
Adding to her troubles is her sparring partner Ardreal Holmes Jr., with whom Shields is smitten. Seeing the potential danger of pregnancy, Crutchfield's continuous efforts to steer Shields away from Holmes requires his constant vigilance.

We also learn something about Crutchfield himself; his former career, his serendipitous love for coaching young kids and his telescopic focus on Shields' nascent boxing career. We also see him at work as an electric company technician when he isn't in the gym. Securing a spot for Shields on the newly-created Women's Olympic boxing team is a dream which he, like his pupil, tirelessly pursues.

Shields is given a chance to qualify for the Olympics in a competition held in China. Finishing in the top eight automatically earns her a spot. With a sterling record of 24-0, Shields chances of making the team are excellent but in competition, she encounters a taller, British boxer with a longer reach who she is unable to overcome and thus, a painful first defeat is dealt. The devastating loss is somewhat mitigated by the fact that Shields is still able to qualify by virtue of her opponent's subsequent victory in the competition.

Shaken but not despondent in defeat, Shields begins training in earnest. But more family troubles arise when Shields must decide how to handle a potentially combustible situation with her mother and step-mother, who vie for her affection and a chance to travel to London. Heeding Crutchfield's sage advice, she opts to leave both behind to preempt any distractions.

Scenes of Shields' competing in London are thrilling and tension-filled. Because Olympic rules only allow Shields to have the U.S. Olympic boxing coaches at ringside, Crutchfield is forced to shout instructions from the stands. Her earlier defeat in China leaves the audience with some doubt as to whether Shields would stand up to top international competition.

We see Shields' homecoming is joyous but soon after she finds that anticipated endorsements are hardly guaranteed and people unfairly perceive her as having accumulated wealth. Television and radio appearances abound but problems at home persist. Shields is also confronted with the dilemma of turning professional or pursuing another Olympic run.
For Crutchfield, he finds he is unable to keep the Shields/Holmes romance at bay, which forces him to play a stern, fatherly role.

Later in the film, we hear much reflection about Shield's success and how it has effected her family. We also hear Crutchfield's perspective on the Olympic experience's impact on his life, which is decidedly unromantic and level-headed. As to what Shields' plans will be, the subtitles clue is into her plans for Rio in 2016.

So much of the film's power derives from its refusal to look away from Shield's home-life and all its disappointments and challenges. The ring becomes a metaphor for the greater fight that awaits her out of the ring; the struggle to keep her family afloat. The city of Flint could serve as an effective metaphor for Shields' family, with its constant threat to decay and collapse.

The plaintive comment heard most frequently in the film is one's hope of leaving Flint. For poor, black residents like Shields' family, the thought of escaping the city seems virtually impossible. But Shields' success at least leaves the exit door slightly ajar. For Shields herself, who has traveled to China and London, the dream is more substantial.

I was genuinely moved by the film and found it to be superior to Hollywood's boxing narratives from 2015; Creed and Southpaw. Canepari and Cooper's film is the real thing and Shields herself is a more compelling individual than the main characters of the aforementioned films.

T-Rex is a profound portrait of a tough, determined fighter whose fiercest opponents are often outside the ring. Will she make it to Rio and if so, how will she fare? Shields' future, like her nascent boxing career, remains uncertain. The film makes us care enough to keep tabs on her. Shields is an extraordinary young woman; an indisputable fact anyone sees this film will plainly see.