Film diary.

(Outside of the monthly challenge; just seen in theaters)

- I, Tonya. (2017, Dir. Craig Gillespie). A biopic / mockumentary about the infamous, controversial figure skater Tonya Harding. From her ‘white trash’ origins to lifelong abuses at the hands of her mother and husband to the scandal that ended her career —the assault on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan. But this is not a ‘sympathy for the devil’ crime documentary —this is a frenetic movie that gleefully tears down our own preconceived notions about everything, from Tonya herself to the popular notion of the underdog hero to the subjectivity of memories. It’s a hell of a ride. 

Quite a few critics have fallen for the same trap this movie mocks: Our tendency to think of celebrities as if they were people we know directly, and thus can judge based on indisputable facts. But this movie doesn’t argue that Harding is innocent at all —it argues that we don’t and can’t ever know, because information is constantly twisted as a narrative. Consequently the movie itself frequently breaks the fourth wall in every manner possible: The supposed present-day interviews are all done with actors (and their real-life counterparts’ soundbites play over the end credits); the characters frequently address the audience even as we watch a supposed reconstruction of actual events —in one memorable moment, they even start singing along to the background music! 

All of which is done on purpose: This movie frequently reminds us that we are watching just that, a movie, and that the quintessentially USian thirst for a clear narrative of good and bad people is itself a hunger for fiction. 

That aside, this movie is also remarkable as entertainment itself, from the stunning skating sequences to the gleefully 90’s soundtrack to the outright impressive performances. 

All in all quite recommended —maybe not for everyone (I imagine a few people will find the mix of acid humor and grave drama very hard to stomach). But for those who can, the reward is a thoughtful and thought-provoking movie.