TIFF 2024 Review: The Fire Inside

A childhood obsession with boxing, leads Claressa Shields to become an Olympic champion and she soon learns that a gold metal does not guarantee financial success.

An adolescent girl persistently visits a boxing gym run by a local male volunteer coach who has no interest in training the opposite sex but his curiosity gets the best of him and causes him to discover a raw talent and spirit that might be good enough to represent America at the Olympic Games.  Domestic problems get in the way but the relationship between protégé and mentor remains intact as they set about getting international recognition for their hometown of Flint, Michigan.

At the story’s core are the interactions of Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry as Claressa Shields and Jason Crutchfield. Their onscreen chemistry is solid with Henry standing out for displaying a parental concern and enthusiasm that is admirable and inspiring.  The opening aerial shot of young Claressa running through a neighbourhood and ending at the boxing gym sets a tone for what follows.  Slow-motion falling snowflakes are a visual motif that is both beautiful and chilling at the same time.

Training montages and choreographed boxing matches are unavoidable given the sports genre being depicted and cinematographer turned director Rachel Morrison puts her own spin on the tropes.  The script by Barry Jenkins makes an insightful choice to explore the aftermath of winning the Olympics but unfortunately does not give much screentime to Shields successfully campaigning for female boxers to get the same financial assistance as their male counterparts.  The Fire Inside is a step forward for Morrison and hopefully, as the directorial confidence builds up she will be taking bigger swings visually and narratively.

The 49th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5-15, 2024, and for more information visit tiff.net.    

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.