RISING THROUGH THE FRAY is playing at SBIFF (Santa Barbara International Film Festival), and I had the opportunity to see an early look. Here’s my spoiler-free take:
The documentary, RISING THROUGH THE FRAY, is successful thanks to the representation and people in it. Where it’s not so much is trying to make roller derby exciting. I realized pretty quickly, while watching Courtney Montour’s film, that I’m not a roller derby fan. The highlight of watching the girls in roller derby comes when the scoreboard breaks and all the players start dancing. That unified bond they all have is impressive… whereas the sport wasn’t for me. What I do dig about roller derby, and what I learned in the movie, is that it’s the only sport where, by default, it’s women. So, if you say “roller derby,” it’s women, and the men’s league has the word “men” in front of it.
Rollerderby complaints aside, RISING THROUGH THE FRAY is more of a take on the team, Indigenous Rising – the first team in roller derby history to represent a single country at the Roller Derby World Cup. Their diverse, inspiring voices turn roller derby into a backdrop, while the documentary wisely focuses on the racism they face. Sour Cherry, Krispy, and Hawaiian Blaze’s stories are easy to sympathize with as they share their journey to find belonging within the roller derby team, Indigenous Rising. Their insights are the real highlight of the film.
Final Thought: RISING THROUGH THE FRAY has powerful moments of resiliency in the face of racism that should inform and satisfy documentary filmgoers.
RISING THROUGH THE FRAY premieres at SBIFF on Thurs 2/5 – 9:20 PM
