BOXER. In the ring, you fight for your past, not dream of the future [REVIEW]

Mitja Okorn took a bold swing at Hollywood with an ambitious film about death. “Life in a Year” marks a turning point in his directorial career, one from which there is no going back to “Planet Single”. At least, I can’t imagine it. So, Okorn has no choice but to move forward, this time proving on the Slavic film market that he can and wants to make ambitious cinema about human emotions. “The Boxer” is just that, though not without its flaws. It’s a sports movie, specifically about boxing, but there’s much more story here than in the legendary “Rocky”. I noticed this right away because I’m not usually a fan of boxing films, “Rocky” being the exception. In “Boxer”, everything is in place—drama without excessive pathos, nostalgia for the past with an objective view, a dose of humor, action, fighting, and the emotions that come with it. And Maciej Kawulski is finally in his element as a producer of action cinema, rather than a director. Thankfully, the fantasy world of “Kleks Academy” is clearly not his vibe.

So, Mitja Okorn surprised me positively with the story, and Maciej Kawulski proved that he knows how to produce a film about fighting that isn’t solely based on the fighting itself. I never doubted this, even after the infamous “Academy”. Jan Belcl, with his editing skills, kept me engaged from beginning to end, gradually leading my emotions to the film’s conclusion. That might surprise you. But before I reached that point, and before you will, the story had me hooked. It could be described as a sports film about a journey from zero to hero, but with many setbacks in a harsh reality that many of us remember as a distant blur. It’s a reality better left in the past, although “The Boxer” doesn’t shy away from reflecting on the new one, which isn’t always the promised paradise it seemed to those who dreamed of it based on colorful pictures in banned magazines.

The protagonist is Jędrzej (Eryk Kulm Jr.), a boxer and champion of communist Poland, who struggles with the fact that even though he won a medal, he’s still a nobody. He’s weighed down by the curse of his father—a failed, or rather destroyed, athlete crushed by the system, whose misery ruined his family. So, it’s not just about being the best, but about striving for success and realizing what one might sacrifice for it, all while feeling the shadow of a tyrannical father and the despised poverty of the PRL (People’s Republic of Poland) behind you. Wealth can make you lose sight of everything, and this bitter reflection applies not only to the protagonist, boxers, athletes, or people in general, but especially to Poles. However, the bill always comes due, and another strength of “The Boxer” is how Eryk Kulm Jr. portrays the downfall of one’s self-image—fittingly, as he too has a famous father in the background. Not a tyrant or a failure, but a man with a strong personality and a legacy his son has inherited. It’s wonderful to see this on screen, just as it was wonderful to attend Kulm’s concerts and photograph him.

Eryk Kulm Jr. is joined by at least two other people who, together with him, create a compelling dramatic ensemble—Eryk Lubos and Adam Woronowicz. On the other hand, the two female characters don’t quite match their level. Waleria Gorobets made the most effort, and that’s about it. Adrianna Chlebicka sounded too theatrical, not cinematic enough to win my favor. It’s not about the erotic scenes or their contrast. It’s about writing a character that, at times, teetered on the edge of making the audience feel secondhand embarrassment. Perhaps it wasn’t entirely the actress’s fault, but rather the dialogue written for her—nonetheless, that’s my impression. Kasia’s portrayal of femininity felt painfully stereotypical in an old-fashioned way, while Eva’s felt predictably provocative in a modern sense, which didn’t come across as authentic. These characters lacked depth, especially compared to Kulm and Lubos. Nicky’s subplot could have been darker. Somewhere along the way, he loses his edge, and the manager becomes more fatherly in the eyes of the viewer. This doesn’t significantly affect my overall assessment of the film, though, which is visually impressive. I should add, by Polish standards—but in this case, I think you can fill that in yourselves. It’s clear Netflix allocated the proper resources for production, so critics of “Netflix-ness” might not find much to criticize here.

Mitja Okorn told me an instructive story, even though I don’t fight in the ring. “Boxer” is a film about fame, the kind we don’t need, though we’re not aware of that until we achieve it. It’s not about boxing, but about real life. Wins are important, but even more important are the moments when we lose because that’s when we realize how fleeting the dreams of happiness are, dreams we’ve already achieved without knowing it. Boxing isn’t the meaning of life, but when you see meaning, you box better. The same applies to everything else that seems like an end goal in itself, but really isn’t. And finally, the music—I have to say a firm no to “Still Loving You”, regardless of the arrangement or who performs it. That track doesn’t fit an existential story about boxing. So, 7.5/10.