Girlfight

Moviegoers, meet Michelle Rodriguez. She's broad-shouldered, long-haired, thick-muscled, caramel-colored, and smoky-eyed. Oh yes, those eyes: they can do more than smoke. They can also simmer, or dull, or rage with an unappeasable fire, or, on rare occasions, they can even soften. She moves purposefully, dresses casually, could give a damn about school, doesn't care what anyone thinks about her either, and is focused simply on getting through each one of her days.

Oh yeah, and she's a knockout. Though she'll beat you by decision, too.

That's Rodriguez's character in "Girlfight," anyway, in which the novice actor comes under the guidance of first-time writer and director Karyn Kusama. It's a rare occasion when we can welcome a film which is enjoyable in and of itself and which also promises better things to come from everyone involved, but "Girlfight" is such a film. Kusama's better-than-competent writing and straightforward yet sensitive direction are graced by a performance from Rodriguez that seems channeled rather than acted and becomes damn near incandescent at times, and the result is a film to remember now and to keep in mind when looking to the cinematic future.

Rodriguez plays Diana Guzman, who lives with her brother Tiny and her father Sandro in a modest apartment in Brooklyn. No one, including her father, really notices her except when she acts up. Unfortunately, she has enough rage in her to fuel plenty of fights, as Kusama nicely establishes from the film's outset with a little mood music and a sustained series of glimpses of Rodriguez's eyes. When she beats on prettygirl Veronica, it's the fourth time that semester, and the patronizing principal recommends counseling. She also admonishes Diana to talk it out instead of fighting. Diana doubts the efficacy of this suggestion. Instead, she goes to pick up her brother from his boxing classes and finds herself becoming intrigued. Eventually, of course, she becomes the girl in the fight of the title, kicking amateur boxer ass and looking to advance in her profession.

All of the above psychological processes are suggested rather than shown, which brings us to the first big virtue of Kusama's direction: she trusts the audience enough not to spell out what's already pretty clear. She also trusts Rodriguez enough to communicate what remains unsaid, of course, and her trust is well-placed. Kusama also has a nice way of setting a scene; her chosen locales, which look authentically decayed and worn, communicate volumes, and she lets them do so. She also lets the ambient sound give texture; hearing a car alarm during a lover's chat may not be typical of cinema, but it is authentic and effective here. Kusama never forces the pace during scenes of human intimacy, but she uses a couple of directorial tricks very effectively to convey the furious intensity of the boxing matches and of Diana's rage. (This is not, however, a very violent film; the worst injury anyone suffers is a bloody nose.) Kusama's writing is not up to the level of her direction; although most of her dialogue sounds authentic and eloquent, suffice it to say that certain plot twists reek of Hollywood formula. Yet such is the level of Kusama's direction that you'll rarely notice.

Rodriguez, as noted above, is a revelation in the role of Diana, and she heads up a strong cast. Jamie Tirelli as Hector, her initially reluctant trainer, and Santiago Douglas as Adrian, her initially reluctant lover, deserve special mention. The scenes between Douglas and Rodriguez, especially, stick in the memory; when Rodriguez's eyes interact with Douglas' entire body, you'll be stunned by how these actors can speak volumes without having to say anything at all. Rodriguez herself has a few rough edges as an actress, and a few of the lines Kusama puts in her mouth sound pretty foolish, but Rodriguez has plenty of time ahead of her to smooth out the little things, and what she has right now is a commanding screen presence and a magnetic personality.

"Girlfight" has won a whole passel of awards, from both Cannes and Sundance just to start, and it deserves them all. It is fresh, exuberant, touching and well-made. We should all go watch this match between the fiery, soulful actress and the skilled, sensitive director. Then let's hand Kusama some more money and Rodriguez another starring role, and get them back into the ring to fight for bigger prizes. This TKO of a movie shows that they both deserve it.

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