Shadow Boxers (NR)

synopsis

A behind-the-scenes look at the emerging sport of women's professional boxing through the eyes of Lucia Rijker as she battles her way toward her first championship bout. Bankowsky participated in the 1995 Golden Gloves tournament--the first open to women--and, after she lost by a decision, promptly took a ringside seat from which she filmed the rest of the tournament and the first footage of this film. With as much introspection outside of the ring as strength, poise, and determination in it, Rijker's pursuit of the world championship reveals the world of boxing and it's intrinsic contradictions: the shocking brutality and graceful control; the personal sacrifice and the public reward; the knockout punch and the final embrace.